Survey Anonymity

Surveys distributed through XLAONE can be configured with different levels of anonymity. This flexibility allows administrators to balance the need for actionable insights with participants' expectations of privacy.

Choosing the appropriate anonymity level helps balance trust and transparency. Higher anonymity can increase response rates and honesty, while lower anonymity can support targeted actions or follow-ups.

Anonymity Levels

When setting up a survey, you can define the desired anonymity level on the Publication tab:

Respondents are always informed about the anonymity level of the survey. The available levels are:

Level	Description
Strict	Responses are completely anonymous and cannot be traced back to individual participants. No additional demographic or contextual data (e.g., region, gender, department) is collected. This level encourages the most candid and honest feedback.
Basic	While individual responses remain anonymous, supplementary information such as region, gender, or department is stored. This level provides useful context for analysis without compromising personal identity.
None	Responses are directly linked to the respondent’s identity (e.g., email address). Administrators can see who submitted each response. This setting is suitable when personalized follow-up is required.

Invitation Type

The type of invitation sent to respondents directly influences the anonymity level of their responses. Currently there are 2 ways of sending an invitation to a recipient:

• Email Invitation via Distribution List When a survey is activated using a distribution list, each respondent receives a personalized link via email. This method supports all anonymity levels (Strict, Basic, or None) as configured on the Publication tab:

  
• Generic Location Link Found on the Publication tab of an active survey, this is a general link that can be shared manually (e.g., posted on a website or shared in a chat). When respondents use this link, the survey will automatically apply Strict anonymity, regardless of the selected setting. This method does not support Basic or None anonymity levels, as it cannot identify respondents or associate demographic data.