Global

Ethical market research: Running compliant surveys and focus groups with consent and integrity

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 12 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
Before a new research programme
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Grey areas: sensitive topics, children, incentives and identification
What would you do?

A client asks which respondent gave a harsh comment in an anonymous employee-style survey of dealers

Try it: this is one of 15 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Scenario, process, timeline, tabs and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, poll, ranking, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 272.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment-Whole course
SO 272.1Explain why honest purpose, voluntary participation and respondent protection matter to data quality and trustICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research [unverified]Whole course
SO 272.2Describe what makes consent valid for research participants: clear wording, free choice, easy withdrawalGDPR consent principles [unverified]; local rulesWhole course
SO 272.3Design a survey that is neutral, honest about its purpose and proportionate in the data it asks forICC/ESOMAR Code [unverified]; ISO 20252 quality principles [unverified]Whole course
SO 272.4Handle recordings, anonymity, incentives and sensitive answers in a focus group without breaking promises made to participantsBest practice; ICC/ESOMAR CodeWhole course
SO 272.5Spot a breach in a fieldwork plan and raise it to the right person before fieldwork starts + your infoOrganisation's research governanceWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 12 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

The promise on the invitation

3 pages

8 min
Before you beginNoteList
The recording nobody expectedTextImage
Why it mattersTimelineKey factQuiz
2

Codes, standards and the data protection basics

3 pages

8 min
Who sets the rulesTabsYour infoNote
Key termsFlashcards
CheckMatching quiz
3

Designing ethical research: a five-step check

3 pages

8 min
The five-step checkProcessYour info
Fix the invitationChecklistText
CheckMulti-select quiz
4

Grey areas: sensitive topics, children, incentives and identification

3 pages

7 min
The client wants to know who said itScenario
Younger participants and sensitive questionsScenarioYour info
Sort itSorting activityMatching quiz
5

Speak up and apply

3 pages

7 min
Who to askProcessYour infoYour infoNote
Pressure from a deadlineScenario
CheckChecklistQuiz
6

Final assessment and completion

1 page

2 min
PracticeQuizKey factNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "no legal background needed
PollHave you ever answered a survey and wondered who would see your answers?
ContentWhat a respondent expects from us, in one line (speaker notes: ask the room aloud, then name the expectation of privacy and a clear purpose)
Content · customiseThe five-step check (purpose, only what is needed, what happens next, free choice, who sees it); {{POLICY_LINK}}
QuizA survey invitation says "recorded for the research team only". A director wants a clip for a company event. You… Share a short clip · Share audio only · Ask participants for a new, specific permission or share a written summary ✔ · Share it quietly
QuizWhich consent box is best? Pre-ticked · Unticked with a plain sentence ✔ · Hidden in the footer · Assumed from clicking next
RankingWhich is the biggest risk in our fieldwork?
ScaleHow confident are you writing a consent line a participant would understand?
Open-ended / Q&AA promise we make to participants that is hard to keep
Content · customiseClosing {{HELP_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How often is an ethics or consent check done before your fieldwork starts? multiple choice
  6. How familiar are you with the professional code for market research? multiple choice
  7. How confident are you saying no to a client request that breaks a promise made to participants? 1-5 scale
  8. I feel able to stop a research step if I think participants were not told the full picture. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the research ethics and retention policy? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Both surveys open with a notice that a survey is not a way to report an incident, and point people to your reporting channel.

Make it yours

12 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Policy link{{POLICY_LINK}}
  • Help contact{{HELP_CONTACT}}
  • Escalation route{{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
  • Where data retention periods for research data are set{{RETENTION_SCHEDULE_LINK}}
  • The organisation's approved consent and privacy-notice wording for research{{CONSENT_WORDING_LINK}}
  • National research codes and privacy laws your legal team wants taught, and rules for children{{LOCAL_RESEARCH_RULES}}
Show all 12 fields
  • Next course link{{NEXT_COURSE_LINK}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run ethical market research: Running compliant surveys and focus groups with consent and integrity training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

Before a new research programme, at onboarding for insight and product marketing roles, and annually before fieldwork seasons.

Who needs this training?

Market researchers, product marketers and insight teams who commission or run surveys, panels and focus groups, including agency-side moderators; run by L&D with insights, brand and data protection teams.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck