What is best practice for reporting confidentiality in DEOCS results?

• A. Aggregate data across units to prevent re-identification and suppress small groups.
• B. Publish all unit-level results publicly.
• C. Share raw responses with leadership.
• D. Disclose participants' identities for transparency.

Answer: (A)

Protecting respondent confidentiality is essential in DEOCS reporting. The best practice is to aggregate data across units and suppress small groups. This approach reduces the risk that a single individual’s responses could be identified by looking at which unit the person belongs to and the combination of answers, especially when numbers are small. Presenting results in aggregate still reveals overall patterns and trends while keeping individual participants anonymous, which helps maintain trust and encourages honest participation.

Publishing unit-level results publicly would increase the chance of identifying individuals or small groups, since unique or rare response patterns could be traced back to specific people. Sharing raw responses with leadership exposes identifiable data and undermines privacy protections. Disclosing participants’ identities is a direct breach of confidentiality and integrity of the process.