Paid survey
Encyclopedia
A paid or incentivized survey is a type of statistical survey
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....

 where the participants/members are rewarded through an incentive program, generally entry into a sweepstakes
Sweepstakes
The United States consumer sales promotion known as a sweepstake has become associated with marketing promotions targeted toward both generating enthusiasm and providing incentive reactions among customers by enticing consumers to submit free entries into drawings of chance...

 program or a small cash reward, for completing one or more surveys.

Details

A paid survey is used to collect quantitative information about the participants' personal and economic habits set against their particular demographic. Incentivized surveys are considered to be more likely to catch a wider and more representative range of respondents compared to unincentivised surveys. YouGov
YouGov
YouGov, formerly known as PollingPoint in the United States, is an international internet-based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare, now Chief Executive Officer, and Nadhim Zahawi...

 in the United Kingdom says -
Legitimate surveys are usually unpaid (as with Gallup poll) or incentivized (as with YouGov); surveys where the respondent must pay or purchase products to join a panel are generally scams, as are sites that disappear before paying the participants. Legitimate surveys do not need credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...

information from respondents.

In the last few years most U.S. market research companies have developed online panels to recruit participants and gather information. With the power of the internet thousands of respondents can be contacted instantly rather than the weeks and months it used to take to conduct interviews through telecommunication and/or mail. By conducting research online, a research company can reach out to demographics they may not have had access to when using other methods. The big-brand companies from around the world pay millions of dollars to Research companies for public opinions and product reviews by using these free online surveys. The surveys you complete directly influence the development of products and services from top companies.

When a research company needs respondents from a demographic they cannot reach they can easily reach out to a worldwide or specialty panel. By offering a cash incentive to respondents in return for feedback these companies are able to quickly fill quotas and collect the information being sought by the client.
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