A paid or incentivized survey is a type of
statistical survey where the participants/members are rewarded through an incentive program, generally entry into a
sweepstakes
A sweepstake is a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcasting laws (creating the ...
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.
Legitimate surveys are usually unpaid (as with a
Gallup poll
Gallup, Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Starting in the 1980s, Gallup transitioned its ...
) or incentivized. 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
A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
information from respondents.
See also
*
Survey data collection
References
{{reflist
Survey methodology