Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 17 October 2025

1. Who we are

Irish Election Studies Archive (IESA) is a research data repository supporting academic and public research into Irish elections and public opinion. We host survey datasets and provide an account system so researchers can request, download, and cite data.

The IESA team is responsible for the management of the data archive and this web site.

Email: admin@irishelectionstudies.org

2. What kinds of data do we provide on this site?

IESA hosts two related categories of information:

Research datasets: anonymised (or pseudonymised where described) survey datasets collected by third-party researchers and organisations. These datasets are made available on this site under permission or data use agreements from the original data owners.
Registered-user information: information we collect about people who create accounts to access datasets (see Section 4).

Important: we do not claim ownership of the original survey data. The datasets we publish are provided to us by the original owners under license or permission. We host and distribute those datasets only where the original owner has authorised sharing via IESA.

3. Anonymisation, pseudonymisation and what "anonymised" means

When we describe a dataset as anonymised, this means that it has been processed so that individuals cannot be identified from the data by any reasonably likely means. In some cases datasets on the site may be described as pseudonymised — that is, identifiable information has been replaced with a code, and additional key information is held separately by the original data owner (not by IESA).

(Technical note for data users: anonymisation and pseudonymisation are distinct under the GDPR. Effective anonymisation removes personal data from the scope of the GDPR; pseudonymised data remains personal data and requires appropriate safeguards.)

4. What personal data we collect from registered users

When you register for an account to request or download datasets we collect the following information:

First name
Last name
Professional role
Institutional affiliation
Email address (used as login and for communications)

We do not collect more sensitive categories of personal data (e.g., health, racial/ethnic origin, political opinions) as part of the standard registration process.

5. Why we collect this data — lawful basis and purposes

We process your personal data for these purposes:

To create and maintain your user account, authenticate you, and give you access to datasets you request.
To communicate about dataset availability, access requests, updates, or essential administrative notices.
To comply with legal obligations or data-sharing agreements that accompany certain datasets.

Lawful basis: for registered-user information we rely primarily on consent (you agree to our terms when you register) and/or the performance of a task carried out in the public interest / legitimate interests (for maintaining a research repository and enabling scholarly access). Where we rely on legitimate interests we have carried out a balancing test to ensure those interests do not override your rights. If you prefer to give explicit consent, registration includes a clear consent checkbox describing the uses listed above.

6. Who else can access or process your data?

We may share personal data with third parties only where necessary and under contract:

Hosting providers / infrastructure providers: our web host and cloud services that store and deliver the site (they act as processors and are contractually obliged to implement appropriate security).
Mailing services: email delivery systems we use to send account confirmations and administrative messages.
Original dataset owners: in limited cases we may disclose account verification information to help the dataset owner confirm requester eligibility where the dataset's licence requires it. In the case of data from the National Election and Democracy Study, we share statistics on dataset access and usage patterns.

We will not sell your personal data. Any processors we use are contractually bound to process data only on our instructions and to maintain appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect the data.

7. How long we keep your data (retention)

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above. Practical retention rules we use (please adapt to your policies):

Active accounts: retained while the account is active.
Inactive accounts: account records may be retained for up to 2 years after last login to allow reactivation and to keep a trail of dataset access for audit purposes; afterwards we will securely delete or irreversibly anonymise identifiable information unless a legal obligation requires longer retention.
Dataset files and metadata: retention is in principle perpetual, as access to historical survey data is the primary purpose of this archive.

If you require a different retention period for your personal data you may request it — see section 9 (Your rights).

8. Security measures

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including:

Access controls and role-based permissions for staff
TLS encryption for data in transit and encryption at rest where supported by our host
Regular backups and patching of infrastructure
Processor contracts requiring security and breach notification

In the event of a personal data breach affecting your information we will notify you and the supervisory authority where required by law.

9. Your rights under the GDPR and how to exercise them

You have the following rights (short summary):

Right to be informed — the right to clear information about how your personal data is used.
Right of access — you can request a copy of personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification — you can request correction of inaccurate personal data.
Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — you can request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing — ask us to temporarily limit how we use your data.
Right to data portability — receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights contact us at: admin@irishelectionstudies.org. When making a request please include your full name and the email address registered with the account and indicate which right you wish to exercise. We will respond without undue delay and in any event within one month, unless an extension is permitted under the GDPR (we will tell you if we need more time and why).

If you remain dissatisfied after contacting us you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission: dataprotection.ie

10. Cookies and tracking

We do not use cookies on this website. The only tracking we perform is to record which users download which codebooks or datasets and at which time.

11. Requests relating to datasets (third-party data owners)

Many datasets on IESA are provided and owned by third parties. If you have queries about a particular dataset (for example to request further anonymisation or to complain about how the original data was collected) you should contact the dataset owner (contact details are included in the dataset metadata where available). We will assist in passing messages to dataset owners where required by the dataset licence.

12. Changes to this FAQ

We may update this FAQ to reflect changes in law, guidance, or our processing activities. Material changes will be signposted on the site and notified to registered users where appropriate.

Questions or requests? Contact us: admin@irishelectionstudies.org