Frequently Asked Questions of the Top 10 Online Survey Sites! J

Paid surveys are marketing research studies for which the panelists are paid for their participation. The payments can be made either in cash or gifts or entry into contests with different prizes, depending upon the company policies. The amounts and modes of payments also differ from company to company, and from study to study conducted by the same company.

Why are survey companies willing to pay me for filling out surveys online?

The survey companies are willing to pay the participants of the surveys because the opinions given out by the participants are extremely valuable to the companies. These opinions and feedbacks convey in-depth insights into the desires, needs, requirements, and present and future expectations of the customers to the companies, which tremendously help in Research, Development and Innovation of products and services.

Who can participate in these paid surveys?

Anyone who is a consumer can participate in paid surveys because the surveys are purely for gathering information for marketing research purposes. They are used by various companies for improving their existing products and services and development of new ones. Some companies have certain criteria for participating members regarding their age, professions and other details. This is generally clearly mentioned.

How do I get involved in taking online surveys that pay?

Signing up with as many survey companies as possible increases the amount of money you can make. The process of joining hundreds of companies can be somewhat difficult and time consuming. To make this process easier download a free software program called RoboForm. It can automatically fill in online application forms and store passwords to web sites.

If you really want to make money on the internet while voicing your opinion this is one of the oldest and most proven way of doing it. Remember, Yellow Surveys freely offers more quality content than most web sites that require a $30 to $40 membership fee. So please don't keep it a secret, tell a friend about Yellow Surveys and the opportunities found on our web site.

How much can I expect to earn from paid surveys?

The amount that can be earned from paid surveys differs from company to company and from study to study. So no specific figure can be expected from paid surveys. The total amount that can be earned in a stipulated time period will solely depend upon the number of surveys that one participates in and completes.

To maximize your income, you will want to start by simply registering with every opportunity detailed for you in the comprehensive Most Popular section of our web site.

What are the rewards I can get for doing online surveys?

The rewards received for doing online surveys are varied. They can be in the form of cash, gifts, vouchers, coupons, free products, memberships to clubs, entries into sweepstakes, access to contests, additional chances to play – and – win online games, and many others. The rewards depend upon the market research solutions provider, conducted study and the company sponsoring the study.

What are the differences in the rewards: cash, prize or sweepstake?

Cash rewards are given out to participants of paid surveys through check, PayPal or bank transfer. The cash reward is listed for each survey and the participants know it before attempting the survey. Prizes are given out in the form of cash or gifts. Each participant who has successfully completed a survey is entered into a pool and winners are chosen. Some sites clearly display the percentage or odds of winning. Sweepstakes are held as draws with an assigned frequency of occurrence, commonly having cash prizes. These are held for all panelists and participation in a study is not a criterion for entry.

How will I receive payments for taking a survey and who will pay me?

The mode of payment varies from organization to organization. The most frequently used methods are through checks sent out by mail, or through PayPal. Some companies also use direct money transfer to the participant’s bank account.

Normally the company soliciting the market research solutions pays the participants. Sometimes the company conducting the market research or the market research solutions provider pays the participants on behalf of its client. This depends upon the mutual relationship between the market research service provider and the market research solutions seeker. Some research studies may be sponsored by third parties also.

Can I earn enough from surveys to quit my regular day job?

Assuming that one may be able to quit the regular job and earn enough only from paid surveys would be completely wrong and prove to be a costly mistake. It is not so. At best one may end up making a small extra amount on the side - that too, at one’s convenience of time and place. The total amount also depends on the number of sites one empanels on. Enrolling on more sites increases the chances of participation in more surveys, thus increasing the chances of earning more money.

How long do online surveys take to do?

The online surveys may take from a couple of minutes to about fifteen or twenty minutes, rarely more, taking in consideration the normal comprehension and speed of answering the questions. The length of survey questionnaire depends upon the answers sought through the marketing research study. Most surveys can be completed piece-meal, starting from the point where they are left, the next time. Care should be taken to not take too long a time to finish the entire survey as all surveys stay available only for a certain duration, which depends upon the overall response.

How many surveys can I expect to get per month?

This depends on the policies of the marketing research website. The frequency of serving the surveys varies on factors like the number of studies conducted by the company, and number of panelists taking part in surveys. Different studies have different demographic criteria for respondents like economic status, educational level, gender, age and others. Particular requirements of a certain study should match the profile of the panelists for the results to be relevant and consistent.

Many of our members tell us that they average a survey a week, while others work to increase this to two or three each week.

It is totally up to you. To get started, we strongly recommend that you register with every one of the handpicked opportunities in our Most Popular section and once you have completed these, take a look around the site for other opportunities that excite you or pique your interest.

What kind of questions will I be asked in the online surveys?

Different online surveys are aimed at gathering different types of marketing research information. Mainly the information requested through a study would be related with a particular product or service or the issue which is under observation. The information is gathered through questions which explore the main purpose of the study from various angles in a simple and easy to understand format.

Why do survey companies ask for my personal information?

The survey companies ask for the personal information of the panelists at the time of enrolment into the panel because this information is used to match the specific criteria of the study with the suitable respondents. Most sites adhere to strict privacy guidelines, which are clearly mentioned. The personal information of panelists is never shared or used elsewhere, unless mentioned otherwise.

Should I Pay To Join A Paid Survey Site?

There is really no need for anyone to pay in order to join a paid survey site because there are plenty of genuine sites available which neither charge a single penny from the panelists, nor try to coerce them into buying anything. The purpose of these sites is pure marketing research. In fact they pay the respondents in many ways for participation in studies as gratitude for their time and effort.

Is there any software which can help me to join survey sites?

Yes, there is available a software called Roboform, which is highly recommended password manager and web-form filler. It completely automates the process of filling out the web-forms and manages passwords at one click, thus saving time and effort spent in this task. Besides filling out the forms, the software memorizes the passwords, encrypts them for security and generates difficult to hack random passwords. It generates backups for passwords and defeats keyloggers by not using the keyboard for typing passwords. It also synchronizes passwords between computers using GoodSync and searches for keywords. It is available for free download. It is compatible with various Internet browsers and is also available on PDA- friendly and Portable formats.

Are there any special computer requirements to do online surveys?

There are no special requirements to participate in online surveys except a computer with an Internet connection and Internet browsing capability. Some of the marketing companies especially the ones studying the patterns of Internet usage need the user to download and install a program. This is available for free download by panelists with complete instructions for installation.

Do I have to declare the money I make for taxation?

Due to the legal nature of taxation, no general information can be given out on this matter. The taxation laws for every country are different. So it is advisable for you to check with your local taxation authorities and/or expert consultants about the declaration requirements. The matter may also involve country specific foreign currency laws as the paid survey sites may or may not be making payments in the local currency of the participant.

I am not a US Citizen. Can I take paid surveys?

Many marketing research websites offer paid surveys for residents of countries other than USA. The region of operations and payments are generally clearly listed on the “About Us”, “Services”, “Terms and Conditions of Use” or “Privacy Policy” sections of the websites. Sometimes information about the participation or rewards programs is also available on the “Contests” and “Sweepstakes” details. Sometimes the study may be available for participation to global panelists but payments are made only to US residents.

Are Online Paid Surveys a Scam?

Online paid surveys are generally a genuine marketing research effort. But it is advisable to exercise one’s own discretion while joining any online panel because there are many get-rich-quick schemes operating on the Internet. So it is better to assess marketing research websites by joining them and observing their research operations and payment patterns. This helps in choosing from the best ones that may suit one’s temperament and taste.

Will I get a lot of junk mail (Spam) from paid surveys?

Most of the survey sites do not send any junk mail or SPAM. This declaration is generally made on the “Privacy Policy” statement of the website. Some ISPs and mail server programs like AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo have high-tech spam filtering software to limit the SPAM received by the users. These may block the emails from legitimate survey sites also. So it is advisable to add the email id of the survey sites to the safe list.