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Promoting open access to micro level population health survey data for researchers
Promoting open access to data owned by the NZ Government is a priority for the government. Consequently promoting open access to micro level gambling survey data for bona fide public health research and evaluation purposes is a gambling research priority.
Open access provides a mechanism to promote innovation in research, build research capacity and capability for new and emerging researchers, and obtain more value from the research money invested. In addition, it is intended to enable the gambling sector to have easier access to quality information to inform their gambling harm minimisation activities.
Microdata refers to unit record and aggregate data that can be collected through surveys, censuses or administrative processes. Once all identifying information about individuals has been removed or modified to protect individual information, the dataset becomes a Confidentialised Unit Record File (CURF). CURFs have had all identifying information about individuals removed, and have been modified to protect individual information.
CURFs for the large Ministry of Health population surveys are available, on application, to bona fide public-good researchers, government agencies, non-governmental organisations and Health New Zealand districts. They’re available only after the key survey results have been released, and subject to certain terms and conditions.
The Ministry of Health population survey CURFs have now been placed in the Statistics New Zealand Data Archive. Researcher access to these datasets is now managed by Statistics New Zealand. Please go to the following website to view the eligibility criteria, the protocol for applying for access and the application form to access microdata – Confidentialised Unit Record Files (Statistics New Zealand).
Gambling survey datasets available to researchers
Learning from the example of the large Ministry population health surveys, promoting micro level access to the New Zealand Gambling Survey data, the Health and Lifestyle Survey – Gambling Module data and the National Gambling Study 2012-2015 longitudinal survey data is a priority for the promotion of innovative and value add gambling research, and encouraging new and emerging researchers.
Accessing New Zealand Gambling Survey (NZGS) data
The NZGS collects information on gambling activities and prevalence of harm from adult New Zealanders over the past 12 months. Details for accessing this data are available at New Zealand Gambling Survey.
Accessing the Health and Lifestyle Survey (HLS) – Gambling Module data
The HLS and associated Gambling Module data are already available for statistical purposes to researchers working within academic institutions, government agencies and the wider health sector, through an application process and subject to certain conditions.
Please go to Health promotion surveys (Health New Zealand) to view the policy for applying for access and the application form to access HLS microdata for research purposes.
Accessing National Gambling Study (NGS) 2012–15 longitudinal survey data
Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs) from the National Gambling Study 2012–15 survey data are available to researchers via Stats NZ.
The eligibility criteria, the proposed protocol for applying for access and the application form to access microdata are available on the Stats NZ website – Confidentialised Unit Record Files (Statistics New Zealand).
