market research companies that pay

Online Focus Groups: 27 Paid Research Companies that Pay Up to $250 an Hour for Your Opinion

I recently participated in a paid focus group in San Francisco. You know, the kind with the one-way mirror on the wall.

We talked about travel habits and preferences for an hour and half, and I got paid $150 for my time and opinions. Not bad!

The whole thing was pretty quick and painless—and actually kind of interesting—which got me thinking that this could be a great side hustle . Especially if I could do it from home!

So down the rabbit hole I went, trying to find other companies that conduct paid research studies online .

And I should note before we get started that these aren’t the typical companies that pop up when you search for “online surveys.” Those companies, like Swagbucks and  InboxDollars , are legit, but pay relatively little .

The companies I was after here were the ones that pay bigger sums to make it more worth your time. I earned $100 an hour for my little focus group adventure, and you can too.

Earn $50-150/hr, with thousands of new studies added each month.

Earn an average of $75 per project, and get notified of upcoming studies you may qualify for.

Patients and caregivers can earn $120/hour while helping advance medical research.

1. User Interviews

2. respondent, 3. rare patient voice, 4. survey junkie, too many choices, 5. product report card, 6. lightster, 7. pingpong, 8. fieldwork, 10. experience dynamics, 11. american consumer opinion, 12. l&e opinions, 13. focusgroups.org, 14. findfocusgroups.com, 15. sis international, 16. surveyfeeds, 17. recruit and field, 18. focusgroup.com, 19. field voices, 20. probe market research, 22. glg insights, 24. watchlab, 25. mindswarms, 26. 20|20 panel, 27. focus insite, other online focus group and paid research study options, online focus groups alternatives, market research groups: your turn, serious about making extra money, frequently asked questions.

User Interviews facilitates in-person and online consumer conversations about products, websites, and services. The pay rates vary, but the average seems to be around $50-100 an hour.

I’ve earned $105 through the site so far, in exchange for about an hour a half.

In one of my studies, I earned a $10 Amazon gift card for completing a short online survey for bald guys! It said it should take 15 minutes, but all the questions were straight yes/no, so it probably only took 5.

User Interviews is a legit facilitator of online (and in-person) consumer research studies. Participants can get paid (generally $50-150/hr) to share their opinion and shape future products and services. While this won’t replace your day job, it can be a nice supplemental income.

• One of the best-paying survey companies I've found.
• Easy to sign-up.
• Lots of new studies added every week.
• Can be difficult to get selected.

Click here to join User Interviews .

Or check out our full User Interviews review .

Respondent is a cool service that facilitates consumer research studies online—and often pays $100+ an hour !

Once you create your account, you’ll be able to browse all the open studies you might qualify for. The research brief shares the type of person the company is looking to connect with, the expected time commitment, and pay rate .

If it looks like a fit, answer the brief screener questionnaire to throw your hat in the ring. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get selected right away—I’ve been selected for 5 studies out of 50 screeners so far.

While there are some “general population” studies, the best-paying opportunities are for industry professionals— up to $750 an hour!

The company takes a 5% processing fee, but the rest of the funds you earn will hit your PayPal account within 8-10 days of your study. (I’ve earned $395 through Respondent so far! )

Click here to join Respondent .

Read our full Respondent.io review here .

(Since recording, I’ve done a couple more studies.)

A leading source for medical research, Rare Patient Voice pays patients and caregivers $120 an hour. You can browse a full list of available studies on their site—nearly all of which are phone or webcam interviews.

If you suffer from any sort of medical condition (even if it’s not super rare), this one is worth a look.

The site is open to residents of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.

While most Survey Junkie earning opportunities don’t pay much, you’ll occasionally get emails for better-paying focus group and product testing studies.

These admittedly are pretty rare, but pay up to $75.

Still, power users of the regular Survey Junkie site/app report earning up to $40 a month. 

Super popular survey app that rewards you for sharing your opinion.

The site boasts more than 20 million members and pays out more than $1 million every month.

Click here to sign up for Survey Junkie .

Start here instead. Punch in your name and email below I'll show you step-by-step how to add $500 to your bottom line.

Join the Free 5-Day $500 Challenge

You're in! Want to supercharge your challenge? Grab the companion workbook and earn $125 more (on average).

You'll also receive my best side hustle tips and weekly-ish newsletter. Opt-out anytime.

Another well-established market research company is Product Report Card . They offer paid surveys, product testing and review gigs, and online focus groups.

The best-paying work is for in-home product tests and remote interviews and focus groups — often in the $75-$150/hour range.

Product Report Card will also give you a $5 welcome bonus for completing a short survey after you join. There’s a $25 minimum to cash-out.

Lightster is a unique money making app , where you get matched with brands and researchers based on your profile.

To get started, you’ll add some demographic information about yourself and answer some questions about your experience and interests.

After that, you may see some questions pop up in the app. Answer those to qualify for paid research conversations that pay $1 per minute.

I got invited to my first half hour session within a couple weeks of downloading the app, and got paid (via Amazon gift card) right away.

I was excited to discover PingPong as a newcomer to the online market research field. The service specializes in user experience testing for apps and websites, with pay rates ranging between €10 and €100 an hour. (Roughly $11-110.)

You might be curious—with the rates in euros—if this one is open to non-Europeans. PingPong let me join as an American and says they welcome testers from all over the world.

Since joining, I’ve received invites to several studies but haven’t been able to book one just yet.

Fieldwork was the company that hosted the San Francisco focus group I participated in. They have locations throughout the US:

• Los Angeles (Orange County)
• Minneapolis
• San Francisco

Compensation starts at $75 for participating in focus groups, which usually last between 1-2 hours. The drawback was I got paid in Visa gift cards instead of cash, so I went to the grocery store and bought Amazon gift cards with them instead.

Maven is a unique on-demand consulting platform. You can set your own rates to participate in one-off expert interviews, paid market research studies, and online industry surveys.

(Experts can also get hired for longer-term consulting projects, as well.)

Maven has been around since 2008, and routinely has projects paying anywhere from $25-$500+. 

Experience Dynamics specializes in user experience and user interface testing (UX and UI). Corporate clients pay Experience Dynamics to help “make their users smile,” and they turn around and pay people like you for honest feedback on website designs and software applications.

According to the site, they recruit testers worldwide with all levels of technology experience. Most studies pay between $50-$150 dollars.

Experience Dynamics also facilitates:

• Field Studies, 1-2 hour interviews at your home or work
• Diary Studies, where you record your thoughts over 1-2 weeks
• Phone Interviews
• Online Focus Groups
• Online Surveys

American Consumer Opinion is another market research company where you can qualify for several surveys a year.

Annoyingly, they insist on using their own “virtual currency” point system. Still, you can earn up to $50 worth of points for longer market research surveys.

There’s a $10 minimum to cash out and you can deposit your earnings directly into PayPal. To give you an incentive to complete the low-paying screener surveys, American Consumer Opinion will add your name to a monthly $50 drawing .

On L&E Opinions , I found nationwide studies paying $125-250.  The company has been in business over 30 years and pays out millions of dollars in research incentives every year.

FocusGroups.org is an aggregator service that lists focus groups and paid research opportunities around the country. When I registered, I saw online focus group options that paid anywhere from $75 to $625!

Topics included pets, hygiene, cooking, luxury cars, and lots more. There are some handy filters you can use to select only online or “National” studies.

Another site that pulls in lots of different paid studies, FindFocusGroups.com was a great find. 

At press time, they had the best-looking interface of most of these sites, but hadn’t been updated in several months.

When I checked, the compensation for these ranged from $50 to $200.

Through “compensated interviews” and focus groups, SIS helps brands figure out direction for their products. You’ll have to register for their database to get notified about upcoming paid studies.

I found rates from $25-200, depending on the time required and complexity of the topic. SIS recruits participants from all around the world, not just the US.

Similar to FindFocusGroups above, SurveyFeeds isn’t a market research company itself, but instead a promising “feed” of paid survey opportunities.

I found their Facebook page updated more frequently than their website, so it might be worthwhile to check there and see what you might qualify for.

The online studies I saw ranged from $75 to $300 .

Recruit and Field is one of the longest-running national market research companies. Since 1977, they’ve built up a participant database of over 300,000 consumers, business leaders, and medical professionals.

The company works with lots of name-brand clients and typically pays $100-275 for in-person and online surveys.

I recently earned $250 for a 1-hour call about business banking!

FocusGroup.com offers nationwide paid research opportunities. (The site is powered by Sago, a leading market research company.)

Be on the lookout for the “National” studies that pay between $75 and $200 . These are scheduled over the phone or webcam so you can take the calls from anywhere at times that are convenient to you.

It took a while, but I eventually earned $115 for an online study related to a well-known Seattle-area company.

The next one I did was an hour-long online focus group on credit cards that paid $100.

Other studies I saw were  related to cars, technology, and banking.

I receive a few email notifications every month with studies. Those range from around $2 for 20-minute surveys, up to $150 for 90-minute in-person or online focus groups.

Check out my full FocusGroup.com review to learn more.

When I checked out Field Voices , I found a couple available studies to apply for. One was a neighborhood improvement interview that paid $150 for one hour, and the other was a group workshop on snacking habits that paid $300!

This firm works directly with companies as well, which means they’re not just pulling together lists of other research projects.

Consumers, medical professionals, and executives are in demand for Probe Market Research’s panels. Focus groups pay between $50 and $400, and you can often participate online or over the phone.

Major brands enlist Probe to conduct online surveys, mystery shopping gigs , mock juries, product trials, and more .

The popular and well-rated dscout app connects you with “engaging research missions.” Through those, you can get paid to share your feedback on a product or service.

Typical studies pay anywhere from $2 to $100 , paid out via PayPal. The biggest complaints from users are that the often in-depth screener surveys are unpaid.

Less of a market research firm and more of a consulting marketplace, GLG Insights aims to match you up with their clients looking for industry-specific expertise. Request to become a “Council Member” to get notified when relevant paid studies are available.

On GLG, you’ll be asked to connect your LinkedIn profile and upload a resume (or link to an online resume) to verify your career credentials. You can also name your own consulting rate — usually $100-150 and up .

After that, I answered a series of ethics questions based on GLG’s terms and conditions.

Since 2007, Zintro has been connecting researchers with industry experts. According to the site, the vast majority Zintro’s consulting and online focus groups pay between $150 and $300 per hour.

Popular industries include:

• Software and tech
• Banking and finance
• Healthcare and insurance
• E-commerce and retail
• Travel and hospitality
• and lots more

It’s free to set up your expert profile and start to get invited for calls.

WatchLab has an obnoxiously inadequate website, but they claim to facilitate all sorts of focus groups, usability tests, interviews, mock juries, and more.

The pay varies depending on the research, and may be in the form of gift cards or cash. I saw ranges from $100 to $175 for 1-2 hour focus groups. WatchLab has locations in San Francisco and Chicago, as well as online options.

For in-person focus groups, you get paid on the spot — online may take 4-6 weeks.

Mindswarms is a unique video consumer research platform. They’ll pay you $50 via PayPal to answer 10 questions about a product or service.

These studies normally take around 10 minutes and can be recorded via your webcam or smartphone, but competition to get selected can be fierce.

To create your account you’ll need to record a 60-second video about one of your passions. Or you can do this through the Mindswarms app on iOS or Android .

Earn $50-150 for online focus groups and studies. While the website doesn’t necessarily inspire confidence, 20|20 Panel has been around for over 30 years.

I found several online focus groups paying $50-200 on Focus Insite . The company popped up in my Instagram feed, a signal they’re actively recruiting new participants.

You can join their panel database as a medical, technical, or business professional, or just as a general consumer. Alternatively, you can apply directly to the available market research studies listed.

The companies listed above certainly aren’t the only research companies around, and for this side hustle, it makes sense to join as many firms as you’re comfortable with.

That way, you’re presented with all the opportunities available, not just the projects managed by one company.

Here are a few more to consider:

• Prolific  — When academic and research institutions need opinions from the general population, they turn to Prolific. The pay is a bit lower — often in the $8-15/hr range — but in my Prolific review , I found plenty of quick and easy surveys available, and you can cash out to PayPal.
• Ascendency Research — On average, studies pay $60-350. Many are local to the Twin Cities, MN, but they have some national studies, too.
• Elliott Benson — Conducting paid market research since 1995.
• PRC Market Research — You can browse upcoming projects (and their pay rate) before registering. Most studies pay $100-300/hour.
• NewtonX — Strictly for industry professionals to share their insight and get paid.
• UserTesting – Earn $10 for completing 20-minute online user tests of websites, apps, shopping portals, and more. This is pretty fun but you have to be fast because these tests get snatched up quickly.
• Pulse Labs – Earn up to $100 a week providing video feedback on products.
• Intellizoom – Get paid an average of $10 testing and reviewing websites.
• UserBrain – Receive new websites to test every week, and earn $5 for each 5-15 minute test.
• Google User Experience – Google pays gift cards for feedback on their products.
• Nelson Recruiting — Nationwide market research company established in 1980.
• Marketade – Specializes in remote usability testing, market validation, navigation research, and more.
• Engage Studies – Earn as much as $100 per focus group through this research company.
• Tell Us Your Opinion – Mainly operating in Tulsa but may have online/phone opportunities as well.
• Adler Weiner Research – In-person studies in Chicagoland and Southern California, plus remote studies nationwide.
• Advanced Focus – Hosts market research panels and focus groups in New York City.
• Nichols Research – Get paid to participate in in-person focus groups, primarily in Northern California.
• Herron Associates — In-person studies in Indianapolis, IN and Tampa, FL.
• PrizeRebel – Earn $10-12 an hour doing surveys or completing other tasks. (Just avoid the low-paying ones.)

As with any side hustle, there’s an opportunity cost. As in, what else could you be doing with your time?

I encourage you to check out our monster list of side hustle ideas , but here are a few that are similarly flexible.

Become a Bookkeeper

One of the first jobs that many companies hire out is “someone to keep the books.” If you have experience in this field, or just love numbers, becoming a remote bookkeeper could way to make extra money.

Most businesses don’t need a full-time bookkeeper so they’re open to hiring someone part-time. Most virtual bookkeepers charge $100-300 per client per month.

Network with business owners locally or online and let them know about your service. It might make sense to check out this  free training on how to start a remote bookkeeping business .

Alternative Investments

If you’re after passive income , you might consider adding some alternative investments .

For example,  Fundrise  allows you to invest in professionally-vetted commercial real estate. This spreads your risk around with properties in multiple geographical locations–and minimums as low as $10 .

Disclosure: I’ve been a Fundrise investor since 2015, and earn a commission when you join through my referral link. Opinions are my own.

Resell Furniture Returns

Reselling furniture returns is a unique low-risk side hustle .

How it works is you join Sharetown as a local “reverse logistics” rep. Sharetown partners with direct-to-consumer mattress and furniture brands to handle their return requests.

When customers decide they don’t want to keep the item, you’ll get dispatched to go pick it up. After that, you’ll:

• clean it up
• photograph it
• list it for resale on sites like Facebook Marketplace

The Sharetown reps I’ve connected with target $150-250 per flip — and, importantly — you don’t have to pay Sharetown for the inventory until the item sells.

Check out my full Sharetown review to learn more.

Sharetown reps make money by reselling gently-used furniture and bed-in-a-box mattresses. Top reps earn $4000+ per month.

• Low startup costs
• Great earning power
• No hunting for inventory
• Requires a truck or SUV
• Bulky items to store
• Not available in all areas

Mobile Notary Service

Becoming a mobile notary loan signing agent is one of the most popular gigs among the Side Hustle Nation community. The flexible, part-time side hustle involves walking new homeowners through their stack of mortgage documents.

Appointments typically take around an hour and pay $75-150.

One big drawback to focus groups or online surveys is you’re limited in how much you can earn. It’s a great side hustle, but it’ll never be a full-time income.

Focus groups or paid research studies won’t pay your mortgage, but one or two a month will definitely help build your side hustle snowball .

Have you had any success in landing paid focus group studies? What do you think of this little supplemental side hustle?

Let me know in the comments below!

• Start Your Free $500 Challenge . My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
• Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community . The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
• Download The Side Hustle Show . My free podcast shares how to make extra money with actionable weekly episodes.

The award-winning Side Hustle Show is a Top 10 Entrepreneurship podcast with over 1,200 5-star ratings!

Listen in your favorite podcast app or directly in your browser.

Is there such thing as an online focus group?

Yes! Several companies facilitate online consumer research focus groups, which is great because that means you can earn money from the comfort of your home or office. Check out our full list to learn more.

How much do focus groups pay?

The pay for focus groups depends on how long the session lasts. Most commonly, you’ll find rates average around $100 an hour.

Where can I find legit paid focus groups?

Companies like Respondent, Fieldwork, and FocusGroup.com are all legit facilitators of paid focus groups. Or, for the best results, you might try an aggregator service like FindFocusGroups.com, which pools together focus group opportunities from several sources. Be sure to check the list of providers on Side Hustle Nation as well.

How do online focus groups work?

Online focus groups work either via conference call or more commonly, through a group video chat to more closely mimic the in-person experience. A moderator will lead the group discussion and participants can chime in through their webcam and computer microphone or phone line.

********* Stock photo  by Akhenaton Images via Shutterstock

Like That? There's More!

Join the 100,000 who get my best stuff via email.

I'll also send you my free guide: The 5 Fastest Ways to Make More Money .

You're in! Make sure to check your email (including spam/promotions) for your free welcome gift.

About the Author

Nick Loper is a side hustle expert who loves helping people earn more money and start businesses they care about. He hosts the award-winning Side Hustle Show, where he's interviewed over 500 successful entrepreneurs, and is the bestselling author of Buy Buttons , The Side Hustle , and $1,000 100 Ways .

His work has been featured in The New York Times, Entrepreneur, Forbes, TIME, Newsweek, Business Insider, MSN, Yahoo Finance, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Financial Times, Bankrate, Hubspot, Ahrefs, Shopify, Investopedia, VICE, Vox, Mashable, ChooseFI, Bigger Pockets, The Penny Hoarder, GoBankingRates, and more.

59 thoughts on “Online Focus Groups: 27 Paid Research Companies that Pay Up to $250 an Hour for Your Opinion”

Nice job, Nick! I have only ever been able to score low paying “mystery shopper” gigs. I get a free meal and $15 or $20 for my trouble. It usually takes about an hour, so am making $15 – $20 per hour. I have repeatedly mystery shopped a “Roy Rogers” restaurant that is on the NYS thruway. Almost every time I have had to travel to or from my daughter’s college campus I have been able to get a free meal, $10 or $15, and a portion of my tolls paid. I wouldn’t make the effort except that I am already driving by and there is a good chance that I would need a bathroom break anyway. Everybody wins. :>) I will be checking on a couple of the sites you provided to see if there is anything I qualify for.

Thanks Kevin. I’ve been half-heartedly attempting to find a mystery shopping expert to school me on how it really works :)

Hi Nick – If you are still reading these comments, I hope you will remove User Interviews from your list. After reading your article, I applied with them and was excited at first, but they have a serious flaw. They do not screen what the companies post for the surveys. First you have to take a questionnaire to see if you will be selected for the survey. Time after time you spend time answering the flawed questionnaire, and then not being selected, probably because of being forced to complete an answer that is not correct. Here’s an example that I just sent to Tabitha at User Interviews:

“I was applying for the Medical Injectibles survey, and the first several questions went well. Then there was the question “Do you care for a child with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis?” with the options of yes or no. I checked no, and I cannot imagine there are vast numbers of people who would have been able to check yes.

The next question was required, and it asked for the age of the person I care for, and had a box, also required, asking for the required medications.

Why was I prompted with that question when I had answered no?”

So that was yet another questionnaire that was flawed that completely wasted my time because I could not proceed. I have asked them to remove me from all further communication as I want nothing to do with them anymore, and I honestly don’t think you should be recommending them.

Hmm sorry for the trouble, Balinda. I agree, their conditional logic on the screener surveys could be better — or they could just advance to a “thanks but you’re not a fit” page. When those types of funky follow-up questions happen for me, I just back out and go back to the list since it’s clear I’m not going to qualify.

Nick, this list is AWESOME! I’ve been using User Interviews for about a month and a half and it seems like I hardly ever get selected for any of the surveys. In fact, I’ve only been selected for 1 so far (which literally took 10 minutes and I got a $30 Amazon gift card) and the second one I got approved for, by the time I got around to actually confirming my spot that evening, it was already fully booked up! I’m wondering with all the different options available if it would be feasible to make some decent side money – assuming the time commitment doesn’t get overwhelming. I’m gonna dig into this a little I think and see what I can come up with.

Hey Kyle, I hope you found some good “side jobs.” You mentioned that you used user interviews and only got 1 job. I’m so surprised by that. I have been using them for a few months and I have made a good bit of money. I had a 20 minute telephone survey and was paid $150! I had another that was in person. They came to my apt (they originally said to see my wardrobe in closet, but never did) they interviewed me on camera for about 10-15 minutes and then we went to a clothing store! They asked me if I liked the store, clothes, etc. In all I was with them about an hour. I got $350! I could have made another $100 for doing “homework,” but I was too busy. That’s just 2 of jobs I had from them. Anyway, I just wanted you to know, bcuz you should keep trying with them. I plan on hitting all these new ones, thanks to Nick! Good Luck!

It’s funny you bring this topic up. I LITERALLY started signing up for focus groups last Monday (going on two weeks) and I’ve already made $650. Most have came from respondent. I also signed up for the Reddit r/paidstudy group as well as the cool work ideas.com FB which posts multiple studies a day. I’m loving it so far!

Hi Nick, I’ve been using ACOP for a few years now it does take a long time to gather up money. I usually wait till I get up around $50 or so to cash in. The problem I find is it takes two to three months for it to show up in my Pay Pal account, very slow turn around.

Nick, I’ve been doing these for several years. I probably average about $1,000 per year doing these. This a great comprehensive list!

I tried Mindswarms. I had no trouble creating a profile video (though it really does not flatter me, nor had I trouble applying for studies. However, I have been on there for over a month, and I have been rejected for every. Single. Study. Besides that, they do not ever bother telling me, or giving me helpful suggestions. Their FAQ section is so useless as to be counterproductive. And I suspect that my mind and my interests are not average enough to make Mindswarms (or online studies/surveys in general) worth my while.

Here is a good rule of thumb: if you prefer the musical works of Vasily Kalinnikov (or just know who Vasily Kalinnikov was) over “Lady” Gaga, do not bother with surveys. Only the most average individuals with the most average minds can succeed with this rubbish. Or so my experiences would indicate.

Actually, the opposite is true. just regular surveys do kind of suck. However, the focus groups and interviews and so forth, all the ones that I’ve actually gotten into have been because I’m weird or different. That’s why so many people get declined. They look for people who don’t conform, mostly because they’re looking for new and innovative ideas. Why would you research the monotonous and mundane?

Thanks so much for the information. I signed up on Respondent today and have a 71% match on 1 survey. We’ll see how it goes.

I just tried to sign up with Respondent, and probably I’m the only one in the world with this problem of not having any social media sites. They want to verify your work on LinkedIn or your FB profile. I don’t have a FB account nor do I have a LinkedIn account. I know, I must be living in a cave, but the work I do does not allow me to use social media. What to do? I guess Respondent is out. Bummer.

This is pretty much the same for me too, Shari. Even if I had an account on social media I would only have my family and close friends on it. I wouldn’t want to give some site access. I also ran into one (can’t remember the name) where they wanted you to upload a video of yourself in order to get the surveys. I am also not comfortable with that. I’ve signed up with all that was listed above. We’ll see how it goes. Good luck to you!

Since I haven’t seen it noted in the comments or main blog anywhere I just wanted to put it out there that technically if you make over $600 with any single company like this they are supposed to issue a 1099 for your payouts. Normally if you accumulate that much over a year they may not bother BUT I was lucky enough to get into a study that paid $875 which immediately put me over that threshold. So then they issued a 1099 for all my earnings from them in that year. That hurt at tax time. This year I’m going to spread it out over as many companies as I can to hopefull get a lot but no single one over $600. And if you are lucky enough to get into a single high paying study, keep the tax implication in mind.

Very nice blog post. Thanks for sharing. On respondent I made $30 today. Not bad!

Thanks Nick, this list is AWESOME! I’ve been doing surveys and focus groups for about a year. I’ve had some great paying, easy jobs. I’ve also spent, what felt like like forever, time trying to qualify for them to no avail. However, from my experience, I can definitely say not to give up! Surveys are time consuming with little pay, for the most part. Focus groups, interviews, etc., is where the money is! I have been looking for more sites and you just gave me a bunch! I am gonna try them all! Keep the info coming! Thanks again!

I’m wondering if the earning need to be claimed on our taxes? Is there a record that we are being paid? Do these companies ask for any personal information? Thanks

Try Jackson/Adept in Los Angeles. They have a Beverly Hills and Encino location.

Here are Metro Detroit Focus Groups and my reviews of them

Morpace Inc. 31700 Middlebelt Road Suite 200 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Phone: (248) 737-5300 http://www.morpace.com Pays $80-$250 Focus Group Surveys (In Person). If they over fill the group which happened to me on one occassion then you get paid instantly without doing the survey. They pay by check or cash after the 1-2 hour in person survey. They offer surveys 1-2 times a year.

Shifrin Hayworth 26400 Lahser Rd #430, Southfield, MI 48033 Phone: (248) 223-0020 https://www.shifrin-hayworth.com/ Pays $50-$300 Focus Group Surveys (In Person). They pay by check or cash in person after the 1-2 hour survey. They offer surveys about 1-2 times a year.

I recently learned that you can only participate in 1 survey every 6 months which is why after being asked if you’ve done one recently you get disqualified.

I just did a study for them last week. They promised a $200 virtual gift card within 48 hours but it’s been a week and still nothing. They’ve stopped answering my emails and I can’t find a phone number for them, which seems pretty shady.

Did they ever get back to you/pay you?

So I have had really good luck with a lot of these companies you listed. I am a stay at home mom have been looking into all this and actively participating for about 6 weeks and made over 3000 dollars I have made 630 dollars on users interviews, 585 on respondents, 310 on user testing, 270 on validately usability studies , 250 on 20/20 panel, about 140 on intellizoom/ what users do Usability studies, 90 dollars on TrymyUI, and 50 on ping pong research. I have also made 375 dolars from focus point global. plus more companies that i got under 20 each from so there is money to be made here if you invest the time. I have done one on one studies with a web cam, phone interviews, product testing (shampoos, and even new cereal), online diary studies (usually about things you eat), and lots of usability studies. the key is knowing how to answer the screener questions. Thank you so much for your list I am going to check out the companies I have not uses yet

Whoa that’s awesome Casondra – thanks for sharing!

Hi Nick-I just found this post and thank you for “heads up”… I’m writing to share with you two top performers here in Seattle for in-person focus groups. In-Sight Space and Fieldwork / Seattle.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a few gigs with each of these company’s who conduct only focus groups. Most of the time the pay is cash on the spot and the groups range from 45 minutes to 2 hours. These two company’s have frequent remarkably high-paying gigs. It’s fairly common to attend a 90 minute focus group that pays anywhere from 150.00 – 350.00. On occasion I’ve landed one of their mock jury groups, sometimes held at one of Seattle’s finest hotels and lasts close to 8 hours. These mock jury groups have paid me between 300.00 to 550.00 for the gig and always provide a catered breakfast and lunch. Again, thanks for sharing your information and I hope you’re able to use my information and experience to help others.

Sincerely, Jason B.

Nice, Jason — thanks for sharing!

I’m registered with two companies for focus group and mock jury participation. I’ve done both and found them enjoyable and worthwhile. Usually payment was cash. One time it was a VISA gift card. The mock juries required more hours than the focus groups. One was Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Saturday evening. My experience has been food and beverages were provided when the event was more than 3 hours.

Participants were usually limited to one event in 6 months.

I’ve seen a large dropoff in opportunities since I reached a certain age. Sigh.

Very occasionally the local newspaper has a classified ad for focus group participants.

I need the mock jury site

Ok…I see several people are interested in Mystery Shopping so I thought I’d share a little info. I have done a lot of mystery shopping in the past and love it. Not amazing money but interesting and I enjoyed it. So…here are a few sites to start with…I hope this is OK…I see a few people said they would send information, but a lot of others requested info and I don’t know if they got what they needed. I hope this helps. So…first… this is the official website of the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association…it has a ton of good info and resources https://www.mspa-global.org/index.html Work available always depends on the type of job you are interested in and where you are located so the best companies to work with will vary for different people. Here are some other resources that may help… https://www.mysteryshopperjobfinder.com/members/resources/mspa-interview/ https://www.mysteryshopforum.com/ https://www.mysteryshoppermagazine.com/?source=forum-top-discussions and last but not least… https://www.shadowshopper.com Shadow Shopper…the first thing that pops up when you google Shadow Shopper will be scam alerts. I’m here to tell you it is not a scam. I have used them for years off and on. They do have a fee option, and to get anywhere, you probably will want to use it at least for a short time. But a lot of job boards charge a small fee. Basically it is where companies post work that they need to get done and shoppers go to find work. It’s a great way to see what is available in your area and skill set and interest and sign up with those companies offering that work. You can go out on your own and start just looking into shopping sites, but that sign up processing can be lengthy and if you pick one that doesn’t offer work in your area or jobs you want, you have wasted time and effort. Once you sign up with a few companies that you’ve found on Shadow Shopper, move on until you want to look for more. No need to keep your subscription if you have the work your want. Just my suggestion, but it has landed me several really good opportunities. One lasted years and was around made me around $2000/yr. Oh…and if you are wanting a list of companies…go here… it’s a tedious process to choose, but it’s an option… https://www.mysteryshopforum.com/companies/ Good luck and enjoy :)

Thank you Anna!

I’ve used Focus Pointe Global and Schlesinger in the Boston area for years. I’ve made really good money with them ($75-200 per session). People seem to over-estimate how difficult this all is. Sign up in the database, fill out a survey if you get an e-mail, if you pre-qualify for a study they call you to screen you again, you either qualify or you don’t on that phone call. If you’re picked, you go to their office and sit with the other people picked and just give your opinion for about 90 minutes. The hardest part for me is fighting traffic to get to the office in the city. These focus groups have been a lifesaver for me in periods of unemployment.

Will you get called every week about a survey? No, you definitely won’t, maybe not every month either. But if you sign up with 5-10 companies your chances of getting picked go up. And I agree that sites like Swagbucks are more or less a waste of time. It’s very small money.

Everyone is asking: How do I join? You have to go to the companies website and sign up for the panel (“Join the Panel”) and then wait. Also, the bigger companies post surveys on their Facebook pages so sign up for their notifications.

I do the best with Respondent, User Interviews and UTest.com. Also check out Affectiva’s job listings if you’re in the Boston area. I’ve made a lot helping to test out their automotive AI.

I have been doing focus groups online for prob 3 years or so. I have done a lot of them with watchlab and user interviews. Also accelerant research is a good one. Field work is another I’ve done them with. I’m sure there is more that I’ve used but i gotta tell u that these have been a life saver for me at times. I most recently did one that paid $400 which is the most I’ve made. I am signed up and in the databases of all that u listed plus a few others like accelerant research. Oh yeah another great place is Elliot Benson research.

Thanks for sharing Shelley!

you might try Mturk if you money to pay…

Great job on this article! I’ve been doing focus groups for many years. Probably made about $2,000 or so altogether.

I’d also recommend instapanel. I’ve been using them for several years to complete video surveys. They pay $20 for about 5-10 minutes of work. Here’s a link: https://instapanel.com/ .

I work for one of the market research companies that hire these focus group facilities/recruiters to get us the research we need. For in person focus groups (in facility) you can expect to get paid around $100 per hour, and more expensive if you’re in a specialty group (certain ailments, professionals such as tech). For online focus groups they run around $75 per hour.

If you want to know the panels to join around your area to join focus groups, I’d recommend going on Green Book (for research) and search on recruiters or facility around your neighborhood. This is where researchers go to find panels to do research with and you’ll get more opportunities with the facilities/recruiters there.

I don’t recommend online surveys bc you might terminate out of many surveys before you complete one and they won’t pay you more than $5 for one, and that’s on the rare end. Hope this helps!

Appreciate the insight — thanks Michelle!

I love love love all the great information I just obtained by reading your blog. OMG ! If anyone has any leads for Indiana specifically please let me know. I know of Herron Associates does a lot of research focus groups. Just go to their website and sign up. Ive done a few for them in the past and made anywhere from $50-150 for about an hour or so in person focus group. I think those are great and very interesting. If anyone wants to contact me to give me some tips on the mystery shopping I’d greatly appreciate it. TIA ( Thanks in Advance) Carrie

Thanks a bunch for the informative post! I signed up for several of the ones you have on this list and already got selected for a study. Just curious – most of the prescreen questions ask if you’ve recently participated in a study. If you have (I’ll fall into this bucket once I complete the study I just got picked for), does that greatly reduce your chances of being selected for another one?

Hi, are any of these open to people under 18?

All clinical trials are for ages 18-99.

Amalia, I apologize. I read your question to quickly & transposed the numbers. I thought you said 81.I’m rarely asked to prove my age, but they may have some way of checking. Product reviews are open to 16+, I believe. I’ve never had to show my ID online, only when I do things in person. Obviously medical care you’d show your ID.

Withpower.com is a great website to checkout medical trials. There are all sorts & bonus if you need medical care & don’t have the money to pay for it. Some just monitor or interview you…all the way up to getting medicated treatment for your condition. I even saw dental work on there.

Every clinical research compensated me for my time & travel. It’s always paid out very well for me & it’s definitely worth the time. I got $365 for downloading an app on my phone that I recorded how long I slept the night before.They sent a little survey with 4 questions every day to the app & I told them what time I went to bed, did I wake up during the night, how long did it take me to get back to sleep, and what time I woke up. I got paid in intervals at week 2, 6, 10, & 14. Super easy money.

I’m on #4 of this list now. User interviews has been fair to me. I’ve seen product reviews, online, and focus groups on there. If they let you know that you are qualified, act quickly!

Clinical research & focus groups are my favorite. I used to like doing product reviews & I still do. But once you really start getting into it, the rewards get better & better. Thank you so much, Nick. Yes, I referred you when signing up. You deserve it.

Hi Nick, this is a great job.

Many of these websites do not authorize participants from Nigeria and Africa. They have country-based restrictions. It sucks.

I have a master’s degree in business administration. I have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. I have a postgraduate diploma in economics, a postgraduate diploma in education and a professional diploma in early childhood education. I have a CEFR Level C1 in IELTS exam. I have done some surveys in my country, Nigeria and I performed well.

What survey sites do you recommend that do not have country-based restrictions? I am really curious Nick.

Great article! Was certain of when it was published until I checked the comments, so it is a few years old. Has anyone ever worked with SCR (SmartConnectResearch) and have any feedback to share here?

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Usually hustling, occasionally social.

The Company About Contact Books Advertise Media 4580 Klahanie Dr SE #155 Sammamish, WA 98029 925-365-6671

Free Resources Blog Community $500 Challenge Personalized Playlists Side Hustle Quiz

The Fine Print Terms of Use Privacy How We Make Money CCPA Do Not Sell My Personal Information As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The 15 Best Sites for Paid Research Studies

Jenni Sisson, Contributor

• Updated May 24, 2024

Paid research studies are somewhat similar to survey sites , but these studies go a lot more in-depth. The marketing company may ask you to keep a diary of your activities for a week or longer, or they may conduct multiple hour-long phone interviews. They’ll also screen your demographic info much more carefully than if you were conducting simple product tests . 

As such, the payout for research studies is much more than for surveys, with between $50 and $100 per hour being common. Read on to find out more about paid research studies, and which ones are worth your time.

Table of Contents

Key Facts About Paid Research Studies

These studies vary in form and topic and sometimes go by different names, like clinical trials, focus groups, shopalongs, user surveys, paid research opportunities and more. In each case, a company or organization hires a market research firm to answer a question. It could be anything from “Which baby food logo do moms prefer?” to “How many Hispanic citizens in Cincinnati have a favorable view of candidate John Doe?” 

The topic of the research determines what kind of study subjects the project requires, so researchers have to gather respondents of specific demographics. If you sign up for the research company’s database and you fit the profile, they will email or call you to participate in the study. In some cases, you can browse research opportunities and apply to the ones you’re most interested in.

Studies can take various forms: an emailed survey, a phone interview, a video chat, an in-person group panel, keeping a diary of certain activities and more. Your honest responses help companies make marketing and product decisions. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you pursue this side hustle:

• You won’t qualify for every study, so plan to apply to a lot of them and with multiple marketing companies.
• Answer honestly. Lie on the surveys and the recruiter will likely ban you from the platform permanently.
• Check your email regularly. Paid research studies are usually time-sensitive, and often the first respondents are rewarded for their punctuality.
• Do your homework. Not every company that claims to do research is legit. Some take your info, “disqualify you” for the study, then sell that info to other companies. Check sites like the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Reddit and Trustpilot to sift out the time wasters and bad actors.
• Check their payment terms. Companies pay in gift cards, cash, or via apps like PayPal. The timeframe of when you’ll be paid varies widely between companies, so read the fine print.

We’ve compiled a list of some popular companies that conduct paid research studies. Some are generalists, while some cater to a specific clientele or demographic. 

#1. User Interviews

In our experience, User Interviews offers a very high payout compared to the time spent. During our test, we earned a net rate of $55 per hour . Most of the payments are in the form of Amazon gift cards rather than cash, though there are occasionally PayPal options.

#2. Respondent

Respondent focuses their recruitment on IT/tech employees, CEOs and other industry professionals. They offer hefty compensation for participants, which can rise to as much as $750 per hour (according to their website). Respondent pays in PayPal only and only allows you to apply to three studies per day.

While the payouts for Respondent studies are high, it can be difficult to qualify for them. Professionals in IT and other technology business roles tend to have an easier time. You can only apply to the B2B studies if you link your work email to your Respondent profile.

We only earned $31 per hour in our Respondent testing , but that still makes this one of the highest-paying market research opportunities we’ve discovered. 

A Reddit user who goes by the screen name sauciestcoconut claims to have made over $2,000 with DScout , noting that their key to success is that they “literally apply to almost every single mission that I might qualify for. I skip the ones that obviously don’t relate to me (about kids or certain occupations) but I submit several applications a day.”

#4. Universities

These are the original source of paid research studies, so if you live near a university, they can be a great option to make some extra cash. They can be trickier to locate, as each department will have its own recruitment methods.

There is no central repository for these studies that we could find, but here is a list of a few major institutions to get you started:

• Carnegie Mellon (offers online research opportunities)
• University of Nebraska
• University of Texas
• University of Colorado

To sign up to be part of the pool of research study participants at your local university, do an internet search for the university’s name and “paid research studies.” Many (though not all) research studies are conducted in person.

Here’s another route to find these opportunities: if you live near a medical research university, ask your doctor if they know of any clinical trials going on that you may qualify for.

#5. Fieldwork

Fieldwork offers focus groups in 13 locations around the U.S. If you don’t live near one, you can join their online database. They especially need doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals for their studies.

After you register with their site, an employee will call or email you when you come up as a match for a study’s requirements. They have a good reputation as a legitimate company, but users say it’s imperative that you answer the phone when they call . Otherwise, they’ll move on to the next qualifying person on their list.

#6. U.S. Government Clinical Trials

The federal government is always looking for people to participate in clinical trials of various medications and treatments, many of which are conducted through the National Institutes of Health.

These studies can be a particularly good option if you suffer from a chronic medical condition, as you may gain access to cutting-edge treatments before they’re widely available. And as a general rule, these trials are safe; although they may not produce the results that the researchers are hoping for, researchers don’t conduct trials that they believe have the potential to cause harm. 

You can find a list of ongoing clinical trials at clinicaltrials.gov . This is just a repository for the information; each trial is conducted by a different company, university or organization, and you’ll have to contact each study you’re applying for by phone or email. No compensation information is available on the site, and pay rates vary widely depending on factors such as the required time commitment. 

#7. FocusGroup.com

FocusGroup.com has 16 facilities nationwide where you can participate in face-to-face focus groups and panels. These typically pay well, since there’s more work involved in attending an in-person interview than a phone or internet survey.

This company is now owned by Schlesinger Group (rebranded as SAGO), and the change has caused some operational hiccups. For example, there have been several complaints to the Better Business Bureau of participants not getting paid and receiving poor or no communication from the company. However, most of these issues have reportedly been resolved. 

#8. Rare Patient Voice

Due to the nature of this company’s clientele, it is extremely difficult for them to match people to research studies, as they focus on rare diseases and conditions. That said, if you do qualify (and they list their ongoing studies directly on their site), you are handsomely compensated.

Rare Patient Voice has a good reputation, earning an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau . Most of the complaints from participants are related to delayed payment due to an investigation on whether the participant sped through the questions too quickly to give a thorough review. 

#9. FindFocusGroups.com

This site doesn’t host paid research studies directly; it’s more like Craigslist for vetted, high-paying focus groups. (That means you’ll have to apply to each study individually.) Focus groups are sorted by city and state, but there are nationwide online groups as well.

The interface of the site is filled with ads, so make sure that when you click on a sign-up link you’re signing up for an individual study, not clicking over to a random advertiser (some of whom make their ads looks like study invitations).

The reputation of FindFocusGroups.com is hard to speak to as the site is just a board that posts the focus groups of various companies.

#10. SIS International

As you might guess from the name, SIS International is one of the few companies on this list that is open to participants around the world. Their research covers a broad range of industries — everything from burgers to butane.

Participants seem to like participating in SIS International’s research. The company has five stars on Trustpilot and many complimentary reviews from former study participants. 

#11. Probe Market Research

Probe Market Research has three focuses: consumer studies, business-to-business research and healthcare. It’s a legit company, though some participants complain of late payments and the inconvenience of getting paid in virtual Visa cards , which can only be used online and expire in 90 days. However, the company has four stars on Yelp and most reviews are positive.

#12. Focus Insite

Though they pay well, several Reddit users note that it’s pretty hard to qualify for these studies . Though the reviews aren’t all bad; for example, Redditor stormborn29 said , “Focus Insite sent me a really nice vacuum to test, and I was paid $200 — plus I got to keep the vacuum.” 

Focus Insite does, however, have a few unresolved BBB complaints regarding the lack of payment to participants . They have an active Facebook page, but the reviews on that page look unrelated to market research or surveys. In other words, this research company appears to be legit, but we still recommend proceeding with caution. 

#13. WatchLab

If you’re curious about the latest WatchLab studies, check out their Facebook page . WatchLab’s website is geared toward companies that employ them, not participants, so you’ll get more information on Facebook. Many studies are related to social media use.

This firm is notorious for taking a long time to pay , and they’ve been dinged by many users for not paying at all. They only have 2.5 stars on Yelp (based on 32 reviews), and most of the complaints are due to nonpayment. 

GLG presents a different type of opportunity than most of the other companies on this list. They do research on big purchasing decisions, recruit expert witnesses for trials and more. They keep a list of industry experts in management, law, finance and other professional fields to interview or consult on special cases or niche studies.

“Consultants” usually have years of industry experience, and often have leadership roles. A handful of other companies do this too; AlphaSights, Guidepoint, Third Bridge and Coleman are a few others. 

The screening required to become a consultant for GLG and other high-paying research firms is extensive, as they only want respondents that have specific credentials. To get selected, veterans in this consulting side gig world recommend being very detailed in your LinkedIn profile, as recruiters for these studies rely heavily on the platform to identify potential participants.

Many studies are geared toward mid to senior-level professionals, and if you’re matched with a study, you can make up to $500 per hour or more.

#15. Recruit + Field

Recruit + Field covers the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They have an impressive list of clients, including Apple, Netflix, Clinique, Spotify and more. This company is somewhere between a GLG (looking for experts) and FieldWork (looking for all walks of life plus healthcare professionals), as they recruit in each of these areas.

Their reputation is fairly good; Recruit + Field has an A- rating on BBB (only 4 complaints, all of which have been answered). 

What About Apex Focus Group?

When we tested Apex Focus Group , we found that the platform offers none of its own paid research studies and uses misleading marketing tactics to get users to sign up for its email list. Once opted in, the company sends affiliate marketing messages to your inbox. Some of those messages contain legit focus group opportunities, but they’re the same focus groups you could find on your own — often by visiting the sites listed above.

Paid Research Study Sites: Summary and Final Thoughts

You won’t qualify for every study, and unfortunately, no amount of hard work will change that. (Plus these companies now have layers of checks and AI algorithms to vet cheating and lying, so don’t try that either). 

Because of this, paid research studies fall squarely in the side-hustle-only camp. For the best return, apply to a number of studies you have a good chance of qualifying for, and quickly respond when you get a call or email from the market research company (as many studies are deadline driven). 

Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent looking to make a few bucks during naptime or a senior project manager looking for a good-paying, low-maintenance side gig , paid research studies can be an easy way to make extra money.

Different companies cater to different demographics, and hence, want different research participants. So do your homework on the research company before you sign up to get a better response rate. 

Financial Tips and Deals Every Friday

Join over 10,000 subscribers and stay ahead with personal finance insights, the best deals, and the best money-making opportunities every Friday.

Email Address Subscribe

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment Read our comment policy.

A Message From Our Founder

Welcome to The Ways To Wealth. I founded this site to help make a difference in people's lives by delivering objective, reliable advice and recommendations that help them make more money, save more money, and invest wisely.

• Money Management
• Debt Payoff
• About The Ways To Wealth
• Media & Advertising
• Privacy Policy

Latest Posts

Amex business gold 200,000 point referral bonus link, american express business platinum 250k referral offer link, 5 reasons you shouldn’t start a faceless youtube channel, the instagram affiliate marketing playbook for 2024, crypto.com promo code: referral link for $50 bonus, popular tags.

• Reading Lists

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Swift Salary

Make More. Manage Better. Live Life.

22 Best Places to Find Paid Research Studies (High Paying)

Last updated August 8, 2024 By Dylan Houlihan 0

Note: We may earn a commission from affiliate links on this page. These do not affect our ratings or recommendations.

Looking to level up your survey earnings and step into the world of paid research studies?

If so, you came to the right place.

Surveys are great to start out with, but doing 1-on-1 interviews and focus groups can be much more fulfilling and a higher paying, so it's worth trying out.

Below, you'll find some of the best platforms (sites and apps) to find paid research studies online and near you.

Featured Paid Study Platforms

Featured platforms are are selected based on financial incentives like affiliate partnerships and sponsorships. They help keep Swift Salary free. Thanks for your support!

User Interviews

User Interviews is a crowdsourcing platform that connects researchers with paid study participants. Founded in 2015, the platform supports a variety of study formats (in-person, online, etc.) and types (focus groups, 1-on-1, etc.), and has been used by companies like Adobe, Spotify, Amazon, and more.

TestingTime

TestingTime is a crowdtesting platform that connects businesses and researchers with individuals looking to participate in paid user tests, interviews, focus groups, diary studies, and more. Founded in Switzerland in 2015, TestingTime is now part of the Norstat Group, and claims to pay over €1M per year to its pool of over 940k testers.

Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost is a survey platform that rewards users for sharing their opinions. Founded in 2005, the platform is quite well-known in the survey space and is home to thousands of survey takers earning extra cash every month.

What Are Paid Research Studies?

The criteria a site or app has to meet to make it onto this roundup is that it must either have:

• Paid research interviews (1-on-1 interviews where you get paid to talk with a researcher face to face or over the phone)
• Paid focus groups (group interviews where you get paid to talk to researchers as part of a group)

These types of research participation opportunities typically pay a lot more than regular online surveys, questionnaires, and polls, so it makes sense to give them their own breakdown.

That said, they're not all perfect…

Pros and Cons of Participating in Research Studies

• They pay well. I've done research, participated in these, and talked to others who've participated in them, and the hourly rates you can earn from paid research studies is quite high. You're typically looking at $50-$200+ per hour for your participation.
• Fewer disqualifications. To qualify for a paid research study, you'll typically need to answer some screener questions, but these are usually short and won't take more than 5 or so minutes. From there, once you're qualified, you're in. Unless the study is cancelled (which can happen), you're almost guaranteed to make some money once you set up your interview date. No more annoying survey disqualifications 30 minutes into a questionnaire.
• Chance to make a real difference. When answering online surveys, it's hard to tell if your contributions are really making a difference. With research interviews and focus groups, you'll feel a lot more involved and your opinions feel more valued. You'll most likely meet some interesting people and learn new things along the way as well.
• The earnings aren't consistent. This is the big downside with paid research studies. While they pay really well, you most likely aren't going to be able to make a full-time income out of them. Researchers are looking for very specific people the majority of the time, so you'll have to be patient.
• You've got to be comfortable in-person, on camera, or on the phone. Some research studies take place via webcam, others take place in person, and some are done over the phone. If you're not comfortable with any of those, these types of studies aren't going to be for you.
• You'll need a proper schedule. Answering surveys from your phone can be done almost any time and anywhere. But, with research studies, you'll typically need to book in a specific time slot for your interview. Many studies are at least thirty minutes to an hour long.

Top Sites and Apps for Finding Paid Research Studies Online and Near You

Learn how to make an extra $500+ a month with this FREE beginner's guide. Includes 7 main money-making strategies ranging from easy to advanced + dozens of mini-opportunities in-between.

Unsubscribe at any time. I'll never share or sell your information.

Prolific is a crowdsourcing platform that connects researchers with paid study participants. Supported study formats include surveys, video interviews, diary studies, and more. Founded in 2014, the platform claims to be home to over 120k participants and 30k researchers.

Chicago Booth CDR

Chicago Booth CDR (Center for Decision Research) is a crowdsourcing platform for behavioral science studies and research. Here, participants from around the world can get paid to take part in studies that help researchers better understand human interaction, thinking, feelings, and more. The CDR has been conducting this type of research since 1977.

IntelliZoom

IntelliZoom is a user experience (UX) research platform where panelists can get paid to give feedback on various companies' websites, apps, and other digital products via paid studies. Founded in 2007, the platform claims to have over 1.2M panelists and over 400 customers.

Respondent is a crowdsourcing platform that connects researchers with high-quality study participants from around the globe. The participants -- who earn money for taking part in studies -- are fully vetted and include industry professionals and general consumers.

L&E Opinions

L&E Opinions is a rewards platform where regular people and working professionals can get paid for sharing their opinions and expertise. Owned by L&E Research (a market research company founded in 1984) the platform claims to have over 1.6M panel members and over $8.8M in yearly payouts.

FocusGroup.com

FocusGroup.com is a rewards platform where members can get paid to participate in online surveys, research interviews, focus groups, and more. Founded in 2002, the platform claims to have paid out over $65M in a single year.

dscout is both a crowdsourcing marketplace and a rewards platform. Researchers can use it to conduct studies while Scouts can join and make money sharing their insights and experiences. The types of research conducted on dscout can include diary studies, photo/video responses, usability tests, and much more.

Testable Minds

Testable Minds is a crowdsourcing platform that connects participants with researchers conducting psychological and behavioral experiments and scientific studies. Founded in 2015, the platform claims to have 12k+ researchers and 85k+ participants.

UserCrowd is a crowdtesting platform where testers can get paid to provide feedback on products, websites, and applications via surveys, usability tests, and more. Founded in 2008, the platform claims to have over 320k clients, including brands like L'Oréal, GoDaddy, Asana, Google, Airtable, and more.

Ubertesters

Ubertesters is a crowdtesting platform that facilitates the connection between those looking for testing services and those looking to make money testing things like websites and apps. Founded in 2013, the platform claims to have over 80k testers across the globe and to have worked with well-known clients like Zalando, Monday.com, NBC, and more.

Tryber is a crowdtesting platform where testers can earn money for finding bugs, usability issues, and other problems in websites, applications, physical products, and more. The platform is owned and operated by Unguess (formerly AppQuality), a crowdsourcing platform that was founded in 2015.

UserTesting

UsertTesting.com is a crowdtesting platform focused on usability testing. Companies can use the platform to get feedback on their websites, apps, prototypes, and more, while contributors (aka testers) can use it to make money by participating in usability tests. Founded in 2007, the platform has grown to become one of the largest and most well-known in the crowdtesting space.

Crowdtap is a rewards platform where members can earn points for answering surveys and sharing their opinions. Surveys can range from one question long to full-on interviews.

Userlytics is a crowdtesting platform that connects organizations with UX testers who get paid to provide feedback on websites and apps. Founded in 2009, the platform claims to have over 2M testers, around 50 new studies uploaded every day, and worked with companies like Riot Games, Microsoft, eBay, Verizon, Coca-Cola, and more.

PlaytestCloud

PlaytestCloud is a crowdtesting platform that connects mobile game developers with paid freelance playtesters from around the globe. Founded in 2014, the platform claims to have over 1M playtesters who get paid for providing feedback on a variety of mobile games from developers like Zynga, Ubisoft, Gameloft, and many more.

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is a rewards platform and market research community that pays members for completing surveys and contributing their opinions, insights, and data. Founded in 2013, the platform is owned and operated by DISQO, an award-winning insights platform based in the U.S.

iPoll is a rewards platform that pays members for sharing their opinions, testing products, completing real-world missions, and more. Founded in 2012, the platform was previously known as Surveyhead and is currently owned and operated by Dyanata.

Product Report Card

Product Report Card is a rewards platform that pays members to take surveys and participate in free product tests. Founded in 2012, they claim to offer more high-paying surveys and product test opportunities than any other platform.

American Consumer Opinion

American Consumer Opinion (ACOP) is an international rewards platform that pays people from all around the world to share their opinions on a variety of products and services. They offer paid surveys as well as occasional product testing and mystery shopping opportunities. Founded in 1986 as a small U.S. mail survey panel, the platform has since grown into an online community of over 7 million members worldwide.

Find More Paid Research Participation Opportunities

Check out our free Platform Discovery Tool . With it, you can find and filter through dozens of money-making platforms to fine-tune the results to your liking.

Free Platform Discovery Tool

Find and filter through more money-making platforms...

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Exclusive Money Tips, Delivered Weekly

Sign up for Swift Saturday financial, a quick weekly newsletter with money-making ideas, money management tips, and market updates.

Paid focus groups

Make money by participating in online focus groups with Respondent. Researchers from leading brands use focus groups to understand pain points, sentiments and identify product usage patterns that can help build better experiences. Share your insights and get paid to participate in a focus group. You can find focus groups targeted at professionals in industries such as software as well as consumer audiences such as for packaged goods. Apply below to get started.

Type of research

Research methodology, paid studies faq, how does participating in a paid research project work.

The first step is to apply to a project, you can do this by signing up as a participant or logging in and selecting 'Start Screener' on the project you are interested in. Researchers will then review your responses and invite qualifying participants for the project. You will receive an email notification if you have been selected, with instructions on how to participate in the research session. Upon successful completion of the project, the researcher will typically initiate payment within 5 business days.

How much can I earn with Respondent incentives and how long does it take?

Research incentives vary from one research project to another and can range from $5 to $1000 per project, the average incentive for an active participant is around $100. Before you apply to a project you will be able to view the time required for the research task, the type of research and the incentive offered. Research studies on Respondent are typically open for 1-2 weeks and incentive payout is usually processed within 5-10 business days after successful participation.

Is Respondent legit? Can I really make money here?

Respondent is 100% legit and pays participants for completing research studies and is an attractive source of side income. Successful participants on Respondent create a strong, accurate profile and apply to relevant projects, and share their insights with researchers in different kinds of research tasks. Highly trusted platforms such as G2 and Side Hustle Nation rate Respondent as a reliable platform for supplemental income.

How can I find participants for a research project, as a researcher using this service?

Researchers can publish their projects to this page and to the entire Respondent participant panel in 3 easy steps: 1. Create a researcher account 2. Create your project and define the target audience 3. Publish your project Learn more about how to recruit participants with Respondent.

• Focus Groups
• Diary Studies
• Other Studies
• Ongoing Studies
• Our Services

Get Paid For Your Opinion

participate

Get started today.

Get Paid For Focus Groups

What is a focus group.

What is a focus group?

Get Paid For Market Research

What is market research, lorem ipsum dolor.

ongoing studies

St. louis mock trial.

St. Louis City Residents $325 in-person study

11/06-10/20

Google Devices

Nationwide - $300 Online Cell Phone Study. You could be selected to participate in an online 60-minute follow-up interview. If selected and you participate you will receive an additional $150 for a total of $300

see all ongoing studies

Opinions for cash.

If you’ve wondered, “How can I get paid for my opinion,” Opinions For Cash is the place! We are a market research recruitment company that connects individuals like you with paid surveys, focus group opportunities, and other paid market research surveys . We collaborate with various businesses and organizations to gather valuable insights and opinions that shape products, services, and experiences. If you want to participate in paid market research online or in person, sign up today.

Accessibility Tools

Paid Surveys

10 Best Paid Research Studies (Get Paid Online & Locally)

Home » Paid Surveys » paid research studies

DollarBreak is reader-supported, when you sign up through links on this post, we may receive compensation. Disclosure .

Looking to participate in paid research studies that offer substantial compensation?

We’ll show you how to find and qualify for high-paying research opportunities.

Show Summary

Best Paid Research Studies

Survey junkie.

Survey Junkie is one of the most well-regarded survey platforms available. You can earn money simply by sharing your honest opinions, which brands can use to improve their products and services. What makes Survey Junkie stand out from other platforms that offer paid research studies is that you can start making money immediately. 

During sign-up, you will need to provide some of your personal details, so Survey Junkie can match your personal profile with research studies and surveys. You can then earn up to $100 per survey or focus group. Nonetheless, high-paying opportunities are rare and most surveys pay $0.50 to $3.

You can redeem your earnings via PayPal or via gift card starting from just $5. Depending on how active you are on the platform, you can stand to earn up to $200 per month.

Survey Junkie Summary

• $0.50-$3 average earnings per survey
• Extra points if you screened out of survey
• Additional ways to earn up to $150
• Install Survey Junkie extension for bonus
• Low payout threshold of $5
• Variety of surveys

Respondent is a platform that frequently conducts market research through online focus groups and in-person studies.

When you create your Respondent account, you can browse the available studies that you qualify for based on your demographic information. You will also see the number of hours you will need to commit to each study and how much you can earn.

If you are interested in a project, you will need to answer a brief screener questionnaire to determine whether you qualify for it.

How much can you earn with Respondent?

You can earn an average income of $140 per hour by participating in the company’s paid research studies. Respondent charges a relatively low 5% processing fee. Your earnings will usually arrive in your PayPal account within 10 days of completing the study. 

User Interviews

User Interviews is a popular platform that organizes online and in-person paid market research studies. In general, study participants can expect to earn $50 to $200 per hour. Depending on the study’s goal, participants could discuss anything from their financial decisions to the types of skincare products they use.

Like most other platforms on this list, you will need to answer a screening survey before each study to determine your eligibility.

Before answering the screening survey, you can see what the research study pays. Thus, you can decide which studies really interest you.

Related: 10 Sites for Phone Surveys

Toluna Influencer

Toluna Influencers is a market research platform that has been around for over 20 years.

Some of the paid market research studies you can earn money by participating in include:

• Focus groups
• Product testing

On average, most opportunities on the platform will reward you with around 100 points. You can also earn more points by referring family and friends. You will get 500 points for each successful referral, up to a maximum of 10 friends per month.

You can redeem your earnings for a $10 PayPal payment.

Related: 9 Highest Paying Survey Sites for Money

Brand Institute

Brand Institute is a branding company that specializes in the medical industry. Although the company has surveys on various topics, the medical surveys are the best paying. Regular surveys can pay up to $5, whereas medical surveys can pay up to $30. 

To join the platform, you need to complete a simple questionnaire with your basic personal details.

Brand Institute also gives priority to applications from medical professionals such as:

• Pharmacists
• Medical technicians

However, note that the company processes payments quite slowly. Brand Institute only releases payment when surveys close, so you may sometimes need to wait several weeks to receive your payment.

Nonetheless, there is no minimum cash-out threshold, and you can redeem your earnings via PayPal or check. 

Engage Studies

Engage Studies regularly advertises for participants to join the various market research studies that it organizes. The format of the paid research studies hosted by Engage Studies can range from online discussions to in-person focus groups .

To join the platform, you need to provide some personal information. Engage will then review your application, and you will receive an email notification when a suitable study becomes available. 

The topics of research include:

• Electronics
• Food Products
• Medical Conditions
• and many more

You can expect to earn $50 to $250 for your participation, paid via PayPal or check. 

Focus Group

As its name suggests, FocusGroup .com conducts paid research studies and online focus groups. 

The company conducts national research studies that can pay between $75 to $200 each. You can participate in research studies over the phone or using a webcam. As with most other platforms, you will need to complete a relatively simple screening survey to qualify for projects.

The research studies conducted by the company can be on any topic ranging from banking and pets to entertainment and beer. As such, you are sure to find the best paid online focus groups that align with your hobbies and interests. 

Related: 20 Places that Offer Paid Research Studies

WatchLab is a leading company that facilitates all types of focus groups and research studies. The pay varies for each project, although it typically ranges from $100 to $175 for a 1 to 2-hour focus group. 

The company has locations in Chicago and San Francisco, where you can receive on-the-spot payments for joining a focus group. You can also work online, but you will need to wait four to six weeks to receive your payment. 

Related: 28 Online Paid Focus Groups for Money

Recruit & Field

Recruit & Field is one of the longest-running platforms on this list and has been conducting paid research studies for over 40 years.

As a participant, you can participate in various types of studies to earn money, such as:

• Online surveys
• Phone interviews

In general, you can expect to earn between $100 to $275 per research study. The company typically pays participants via PayPal, but some studies may offer the option for payment via gift cards. 

Research studies on the platform are open to participants of any age or gender. However, medical professionals such as nurses, doctors, and lab technicians get priority for participation slots.

Carnegie Mellon University Research

If you’re an English speaker over 18 years old and have never joined any studies at this research center, you can join paid research studies at Carnegie Mellon University Research . 

The topics of the studies vary, and can include topics such as:

• Decision making
• Personal beliefs
• Interpersonal perceptions

Online studies typically take 5 to 20 minutes and you’ll earn approximately $8 per hour.

However, the institution does not compensate study participants in cash. Instead, participants will get gift cards as a token of appreciation for their time.

What Is a Paid Research Study?

Companies pay research studies to get honest feedback about their products and services from consumers. Online surveys are one of the most common ways that companies conduct such studies.

In general, paid research studies take the following format:

• A business hires a market research company to get feedback on their product
• The researcher creates a survey or focus group
• Participants answer questions in the survey or focus group anonymously
• The researcher collates the data and presents it to the business
• The business uses the feedback collected to improve their product

What Are the Requirements for Research Studies?

Most studies are designed to gather feedback from a target demographic.

Depending on the goal of the survey, you may need to:

• Be of a certain gender
• Be of a certain race
• Fit into an age range
• Have a specific occupation
• Meet some other criteria

Due to the targeted nature of paid research studies, you will usually be asked to answer some screening questions before each survey. These screening questions identify whether you fit the target demographic of the survey. If you don’t you may be disqualified.

Most platforms offering paid research studies do not provide any compensation if you screen out of a survey. However, there are some platforms that will pay you a small amount even if you do not qualify for a survey, such as Ipsos iSay .

Do You Get Paid for Research Studies?

Depending on the platform that you join, you could earn up to $100 or more per hour by participating in paid research studies.

For instance, Respondent pays its market research participants one of the highest rates on the market. Research study participants on the platform can earn an average of $140 per hour. Participants from certain in-demand demographics can even earn up to $700 per hour.

Are Focus Groups Safe?

Focus groups are generally safe. However, you need to ensure that you choose a legit platform. As with most industries, some scam companies promise unrealistic pay and usually require you to sign up for something. 

If you choose a legit company, you can rest assured that participating in a focus group is safe and a fun way to earn cash in your spare time. 

Dollarbreak

About the author:

Featured Articles

Join our Newsletter

Sign up for alerts on our latest apps reviews. Find out which apps truly pay before you invest your time.

I agree to receive your newsletter. You can unsubscribe anytime.

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

The content on dollarbreak.com is for informational and educational purposes only and cannot replace any professional financial advice. Conduct your own research and seek the advice of a licensed financial advisor. Please read the full Terms of use and Privacy Policy .

Paid Market Research: Profit from your Opinion

One of the easiest ways to make some money on the side is to take part in paid market research.

Not to be confused with surveys, these are often well-paid opportunities. The rewards can be considerable. It’s not at all unusual to earn $100 or more for giving up just an hour of your time.

In this article, we look at how the world of online research works, and introduce you to a few places where you can sign up for the chance to get involved in lucrative focus groups and other interesting studies.

What is Paid Market Research?

Paid market research is where companies pay consumers to provide their opinions on specific products, services and entire industries.

The research can take various forms: from questionnaires to product tests to one-to-one telephone interviews to online focus groups.

At one end of the scale, a company may wish to seek feedback on a new product or a specific advertising campaign. At the other, if you’re an expert in a particular industry, you may find studies where companies are keen to glean your general opinions on a wide range of related topics.

To give you an idea of how broad and varied paid market research can be, in the last few months alone, I’ve personally been involved in studies covering everything from chocolate bars to cryptocurrency .

How is this Different to Taking Surveys?

There’s definitely some crossover between paid market research and taking online surveys. In fact, on some survey websites and user testing sites , you will occasionally receive invitations to focus groups and product tests, especially if you use the platforms regularly and have a good reputation. (For some tips on using these sites, read this article ).

However, while surveys are another way for companies to seek opinions, they usually pay WAY less money .

Focus groups and research projects go into much more detail, and usually require you to participate more actively. You’ll generally be on a voice or video call, or carrying out another activity that requires your full concentration for a prolonged period.

What Expertise do you Need?

Companies recruiting for research projects usually have a very specific criteria for the kind of people they want to speak to. However, this doesn’t mean you need specific skills or expertise to make money from market research.

The criteria a company has in mind could be “parents of under-fives” or “drivers of electric cars.” So, it’s truly the luck of the draw whether you will be what companies are looking for at any given time .

There’s also a lot of market research taking place in the business world. I’ve been selected for studies due to being a small business owner, a blogger, and even a user of specific software. Again, it’s more luck than judgement whether you will fit the bill at any one time.

Below are just a few examples of the types of people the market research companies listed below are seeking at the time of writing:

• Active cyclists.
• People who use the finance app Revolut.
• People who regularly stream TV and movies. (That’s everyone, right?!)

With such varied topics, it’s hard to know exactly when you’ll find studies that fit your profile. But when they do, it’s easy money!

Making Money from Market Research Referrals

Sometimes you can make money from market research without participating in the studies at all.

As the companies doing research often need very specific people, you frequently see referral incentives. Even if you’re not who the research firm is looking for, there’s a chance of a payout if you can refer somebody who is.

This certainly makes it worthwhile signing up to several reputable platforms – and we have some listed below.

About “Screen Outs”

Due to the specificity of the people companies look for, you’re absolutely not going to get onto every focus group and research project you apply to. This does often mean answering several questions, only to find you don’t qualify.

It’s a similar screen-out process to online surveys. However, the trade-off is that if you DO get onto a specific study, the rewards are much greater.

How Much Money can you Make from Online Research?

Online research projects typically pay from $40-100 per hour of participation. Projects and focus groups about specialised topics can sometimes pay considerably more.

However, you can’t turn participating in focus groups into a full-time job . There’s no guarantee which studies you will qualify for, and you can go through dry patches when you don’t seem to get anything.

I’ve found that if you actively sign up to several platforms, make sure you participate and read all the emails they send you, it’s usually feasible to get onto one or two studies each month . However, your individual milage will vary. While I get onto small business studies, I’m not invited to those for stay at home mums!

All in all, research work itself pays very well, but it’s definitely more of a side gig than a job.

Where to Find Online Focus Groups and Paid Research Studies

There are numerous sites online offering paid market research opportunities. As with surveys, this is an area where scammers do search for prey, so it’s important to do your own “due diligence” before you get involved with any company. There are some suggestions below. When it comes to avoiding scams, this article provides some tips .

User Interviews

User Interviews is a US-based company that recruits for a range of focus groups and studies. Although the firm is US-based, it’s recently started to take on participants in Australia as well as the US, with the UK, France, Germany and South Africa coming next. (I was advised of this in July 2020).

User Interviews is an ideal first site to join for this kind of work, because once you’ve signed up you can simply browse a list of available studies and apply to any where you think you meet the criteria.

The studies here tend to pay very well, with rates ranging from 40 to several hundred Dollars per hour. The higher rates are for more specialised studies, and this site really does illustrate our point about how random the requirements can be.

There are lots of studies to choose from – over 50 when I last updated this article. It’s obviously wise to check back regularly for any new ones you might qualify for.

We now have a full review of User Interviews on this site.

TestingTime

TestingTime is half-way between a user testing site and a market research platform. Primarily they recruit for people to test new apps and software, but unlike on UserTesting (review here) , these tests usually take place over Skype and involve you interacting one-to-one with the client. There are focus groups and other activities here too.

Payment is up to £60 ($77) per hour, and made by PayPal. Unlike some other sites, you can’t browse available projects. Once you’ve signed up you have to wait for emails to come through and then see if you pass the screening questions. If you don’t, there’s often the chance to earn a referral fee if you know somebody who  is  suitable.

Respondent.io

Respondent is a market research company that accepts participants from around the world (to the best of my knowledge). The studies are hugely varied, covering everything from “restaurant owners” to “men who shave” last time I looked!

Some of the studies here are very well paid, and there are also some smaller mini studies for lower rates. You can actually browse the projects Respondent is recruiting for before signing up. Furthermore, there are sometimes incentives for referring other suitable people if you’re not a match.

Other Focus Group Sites

As discussed above, there are lots of other sites offering focus groups and research opportunities. Always make sure you look for reviews and feedback before signing up, as we’ve not tested all of these personally.

ACOP (American Customer Opinion) is halfway between a survey site and a market research site, but does offer the chance to take part in well-paid focus groups. It’s open to the US, Canada, UK, Germany and France at the time of writing.

Take Part in Research   is a UK-based site specialising in focus groups, including some “in person” options, as discussed below. There’s a wide range of options and you can browse available studies before signing up.

Focus Group ,  run by Focus Pointe Global, is the online US arm of a well-known focus group company. You sign up and fill in some demographic questionnaires and wait to be invited to studies.

WatchLab   is a busy market research company running both on-site and online focus groups. The pay is good  if  you’re accepted onto a project, but some online reviewers complain about completing lots of screening surveys without being accepted.

What About “In Person” Focus Groups?

Not all paid market research is done online. Historically, there’s always been plenty carried out in a more “traditional” setting, sometimes complete with a one-way mirror where you’re observed while you discuss new products.

However, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s reasonable to assume that this kind of in-person work will be thin on the ground for a while.

What this  does however mean is a likelihood of more remote market research and focus group work. All the more reason to sign up to the companies here.

“In person” groups could become an option again if you live or work in a large city, as this is where most of them take place. I used to participate in a few when I lived in London, as it was easy money for doing something like playing with a new mobile phone for an hour on my way home.

Several of the sites above also offer “in person” focus group opportunities. They usually pay $50-150 per hour, and you’re often handed this in cash while you’re there.

Tips for Paid Market Research

• Sign up to multiple sites and make yourself familiar with how they work. The more sites you are on, the more chance of finding studies you qualify for.
• Always show up!  Focus groups, especially, usually involve multiple people, so you’re causing major inconvenience if you commit and then don’t log on or attend. There are often penalties for missing an agreed session, and you may find yourself unable to apply for projects on the same platform again.
• Be honest!  If you think a product is rubbish, you CAN say. In fact, this is the kind of feedback that companies are generally seeking. There are no wrong answers, so speak your mind.
• Don’t lie  and try to “second guess” what the companies are looking for in order to force yourself onto a study. You’ll look really foolish if you get found out. Sometimes you get lucky and qualify for a project, sometimes you don’t – so don’t try to trick the system.

Some Other Side Income Ideas

Paid market research is just one of the things you can do to earn some extra income. Here are some more things to take a look at:

• 10 simple but reliable side gig ideas.
• Starting an eBay business.
• Running your own profitable blog. 

Founder of HomeWorkingClub.com – Ben has worked freelance for nearly 20 years. As well as being a freelance writer and blogger, he is also a technical consultant with Microsoft and Apple certifications. He loves supporting new home workers but is prone to outbursts of bluntness and realism.

Related Articles

Flexjobs review 2023: is flexjobs worth it.

131 Legit Companies that Hire Home Workers in 2023

The 52 Best Online Jobs in 2023: What they Pay and Where to Find Them

Online Writing Jobs for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide

Leave a comment Cancel reply

20 Top Market Research Companies (2024)

Self-serve market research are helpful when you need answers fast.

But a market research company can be a great asset when you need data on a more personalized or granular level.

The data collected by a top market research firm can help you optimize your product marketing, communications strategy, customer experience, online user experience, and more.

From completely bespoke services to expert reporting on the topics that matter most to your audience, these are 20 of the best consumer and B2B market research companies.

Ipsos is a market research company that connects businesses with online communities.

When you work with Ipsos, you'll be matched with a community of people that share traits with your ideal customers. These similarities help you figure out what your ideal customer or user may respond to.

Ipsos’ wide range of services covers multiple industries, including retail, healthcare, transportation, politics, and automotive.

With Ipsos, you can do things such as:

• Assemble custom panels of consumers
• Record interviews and mystery shopper journeys that document retail experiences
• View reports about key consumer insights and demographics
• Run brand, packaging, and product testing
• Conduct message testing for public affairs projects
• Develop studies measuring the quality of healthcare and patient satisfaction
• Engage in public opinion polling

You can also work with an Ipsos strategist to get further insights about your market.

Ipsos recruits its panel and community members through a variety of advertising channels, and participants aren’t paid for their involvement. Instead, members receive points they can later redeem for prizes.

Because Ipsos services are so customizable, you’ll need to get in touch with their sales team to discuss your needs and receive a price quote.

2. Edelman DXI

Edelman Data & Intelligence (DXI) provides its customers with insights related to their target markets, customer behaviors, and broader economic trends .

The company is part of the Edelman global communications firm. By working with their DXI unit, you can get help with:

• Social listening and analysis
• Competitive market analysis
• Content auditing
• Paid media planning
• Risk forecasting
• Workforce analytics

Edelman DXI has offices throughout the world, so they can provide insights across a wide variety of global markets and audiences.

Because Edelman DXI services will be unique to each client, you’ll need to get in touch with the company to learn more about how much it will cost to become a client.

3. Exploding Topics

Exploding Topics is an alternative to traditional market research firms.

Rather than relying on a small panel sample or audience group selected by a firm, you can glean insights from what might be the world’s largest repository of consumer wants, needs, and insights: the internet.

First, we use artificial intelligence (AI) to listen to conversations happening across:

• News outlets
• Social networks

Next, our data analysis experts use this information to help identify the top market trends, topics, brands, and technologies that interest consumers and businesses today.

We enter these findings into our searchable database—and use it as the basis for insightful, actionable reports that break down the top trends you need to know about right now.

Our data stretches back 15 years and covers over 40 industries. Plus, it’s updated every day—so you always have fresh insights to work with.

Whether you rely on our reports or prefer to search the database yourself, you can use Exploding Topics data to support your:

• Entry into new markets
• Product development
• New marketing strategies
• Startup investing
• Competitor acquisition
• New business formation

You can access some of our trend data and reports for free right now. For complete access to every Exploding Topics data point and report—including our Meta Trends feature that shows how trends intersect—you’ll need a paid Exploding Topics Pro plan.

It’s just $1 for the first two weeks of your Exploding Topics Pro membership, and as little as $39 per month (billed annually) after that.

Gartner ’s market research services overlap with those offered by Ipsos, but cover a few additional industries including education, energy, and finance.

As a Gartner customer, you can:

• Review prepared reports
• Engage in personalized consulting services
• Attend industry events

The data gleaned from these reports and activities can help your company enhance its internal business operations as well as improve consumer-facing products or campaigns. Gartner’s information can be useful for:

• Understanding how to best position your brand
• Improving project strategy development and decisions
• Estimating tech lifecycles and improving corporate purchasing
• Evaluating your top market competitors
• Developing a more sustainable business strategy
• Determining how AI may impact your business
• Preparing for economic changes
• Improving your company’s market share

Some of Gartner’s reports are available for free on their website. That way, you can get a taste of what the company offers. If it seems like the right fit for your needs, you’ll need to get in touch with the Gartner team to get a price quote.

5. IMS Marketing

IMS is a full-service marketing agency—but they offer a market research arm to help B2B clients better understand how to position their brand and products.

Their customized services can help with:

• Understanding customer feedback
• Testing the feasibility of a new product or market
• Analyzing the competitor landscape
• Creating market segments
• Researching new audience groups
• Identifying and improving brand perception
• Pinpointing gaps in existing or prior research attempts

IMS Marketing is like Edelman DXI in that its services are entirely bespoke—the company doesn’t offer prepared reports like Gartner or Exploding Topics.

You can only become an IMS client after meeting with the company and allowing them to get a full understanding of your business, market, and objectives. 

6. Forrester

Forrester is a market research firm that provides insights for business, government, and technology operations.

While B2C businesses can use Forrester, a lot of the firm's data is especially valuable for B2B markets.

You can use Forrester insights to:

• Explore what business customers need and want
• Develop your tech stack to keep pace with competitors
• Prepare for supply chain and development challenges
• Review prepared sales strategy templates
• Discover competitor weaknesses

Forrester offers advisory services and access to data-rich reports, so you can choose whether you’d like to take a more self-directed approach or have hands-on help.

A single Forrester report may cost $1,000 or more, and advisory services are custom quoted based on your needs. Anyone interested in working with Forrester directly will need to get in touch with their sales team to discuss options.

Kantar offers market research services for a range of B2C industries, including consumer packaged goods (CPG), fashion, hospitality, retail, and technology.

Kantar’s research solutions include:

• Collection of qualitative consumer data in over 80 global markets
• Customized research surveys with panels prepared from a network of over 150 million respondents
• The development of healthcare professional and patient panels
• Expert survey design

The company also offers Kantar Marketplace, a do-it-yourself market research platform that lets users guide their own data collection and analysis efforts.

Marketplace access is available on either a pay-per-use plan or with an annual commitment starting at $50,000.

You can’t sign up on the Kantar website, though—for access to Marketplace as well as bespoke Kantar research services, you’ll need to get in touch with their sales team.

8. Bellomy Market Intelligence

Bellomy Market Intelligence is a consulting firm that works with retail, healthcare, financial, technology, energy, and consumer goods businesses.

Like several of the other market research firms on this list, Bellomy offers its clients access to panels of consumers that meet relevant B2B or B2C audience criteria.

You can then use these panels to:

• Run quick polls with rapid response times
• Host open-ended discussions to collect feedback
• Create ongoing focus forums for asynchronous discussions
• Watch as a Bellomy moderator leads members of your panel in an online chat
• Conduct one-on-one, in-depth interviews
• Track consumer behaviors and motivations with repeated daily online surveys
• Host in-person focus groups and retail events to collect data

Bellomy then uses AI tools to help its clients glean insights from qualitative and quantitative research results.

As with many other market research groups, you’ll need to get in touch with Bellomy to learn more about its available services and prices.

Campos is a market research firm focused on branding, product development, and customer experience data.

Campos works with corporations and public institutions seeking a rebrand. Its services overlap with those provided by IMS and Bellomy, and include:

• Product pricing research
• Consumer segmentation and analysis
• Demand forecasting
• Focus group creation
• In-depth interviews for customer journey mapping
• In-store observations

Unlike many research firms that conduct most of their analysis online—such as through video interviews and web-based simulations—Campos specializes in face-to-face analysis.

The company maintains a research center in Pittsburgh, where they're able to:

• Assemble and interview large panels
• Host software usability testing sessions
• Create model stores and homes for interaction testing
• Run mock jury simulations

Campos clients may watch the studies in action through two-way mirrors or view a live stream of research activities. The firm can also arrange for similar in-person experiences at partner locations around the U.S.

Campos services are based on scope and need, so you'll need to get in touch with the firm if you're interested in working with them.

10. Matrix Sciences

Matrix Sciences is a research and testing firm for agriculture and food brands.

The company's research arm conducts studies to discover consumer opinions around food products. They deliver a mix of quantitative and qualitative data through processes like:

• In-home product usage analysis
• Whole-household evaluations and interviews
• Panel discussions and interviews about food products or ideas
• Studies around how product packaging stands out in stores

Matrix Sciences also maintains a panel of expert sensory researchers who provide research and feedback around how a food item may be perceived. This process considers a product's:

• Visual appearance

Like Campos, much of Matrix Science's research happens in-person. The firm maintains 14 testing locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Prospective customers must get in touch with the company to discuss tests, options, and pricing.

Knit is an AI-powered research platform that quickly delivers panel data and analysis to clients.

You can use the tool to conduct qualitative and quantitative research. Tell Knit what you need, and the platform will assemble a panel from their database of over five million consumers.

Knit panelists range from 13 to 65 years old and are verified as real through a process involving both video and AI-generated questions.

Panelists can answer questions via video or survey form, depending on how the Knit study is set up.

You won't have to watch hours and hours of video, though. Knit uses GPT-4 to analyze these recordings and create:

• Video summaries
• Quick takeaways
• Key theme summaries
• Highlight reels

The platform also includes an AI research assistant that can answer questions about the data you get from Knit.

YouGov is a public opinion polling service.

The company offers opinion polling data for free on its website. These free data sets cover public opinion on topics related to:

• Business and economy
• Digital technology and media
• Entertainment, arts, and culture
• Health and science
• International affairs
• Politics and current affairs
• Travel and transport

You can dig down into each area of interest to learn about people's thoughts on specific people, brands, events, and more.

YouGov also provides data about survey respondents' habits. For example, they provide data on Americans' typical hours of sleep per night:

[ss of " How many hours of sleep do Americans actually get in a night?" chart from https://business.yougov.com/content/48919-52-of-americans-say-they-sleep-7-hours-a-night-but-many-want-even-more-time-in-bed ]

The ability to sift through all of YouGov's collected polling data may be enough for some users. If not, the company offers self-serve surveys, prepared surveys, and even custom research solutions for paying customers.

By working with YouGov, you can survey 26 million panelists living in 55 markets.

Because the company offers several bespoke solutions in addition to its free data, you'll need to set up a call with YouGov to learn more about options and pricing.

13. Fieldwork

Fieldwork is a qualitative market research firm offering solutions for focus groups.

You can engage Fieldwork to run a consumer focus group at their facilities throughout the U.S., your office, or another location around the world. Online focus groups are also an option for Fieldwork customers.

Fieldwork's support for medical and legal testing sets them apart from some other market research firms on this list. The company maintains permanent and portable medical simulation labs, and can also support:

• Medical device testing for FDA approval
• Medical device usability testing
• Mock jury research
• Trial simulations

If you're interested in working with Fieldwork to run a focus group, you'll need to submit a request for proposal through the company's website.

14. Kadence

Kadence is an international marketing and scientific research firm.

The company offers research services that can help you:

• Better understand customer preferences
• Improve market segmentation
• Plan the best way to enter a key market
• Streamline retail shopping experiences
• Evaluate how well marketing assets resonate with customers
• Assess brand metrics
• Find new market opportunities

Kadence conducts their research in several ways, including through:

• In-person focus groups
• Phone interviews
• Online communities
• In-person testing

They even offer sensory research and testing that's guided by neuroscience. This includes measuring eye movements and brain states when evaluating the reaction to a marketing campaign.

Kadence maintains offices in 13 countries. If you're interested in working with the Kadence team, you'll need to get in touch to request a price quote.

15. Second to None

Second to None provides mystery shopping services and conducts customer experience research.

You can work with the firm to conduct primary market research campaigns. These include:

• Customer surveys
• Brand reputation research
• Online community feedback
• Online and in-person mystery shopping

Second to None offers solutions for both B2C and B2B brands in a variety of industries including:

• Foodservice
• Financial service
• Consumer products and services
• Retail sales

Like many of its competitors, Second to None doesn't publish its pricing online. If you think the company's services are the right fit for your brand, you'll need to request an initial consultation with the firm.

16. Civicom

Civicom is a market research services group offering online and offline options.

The company can facilitate a variety of market research projects, including:

• Online focus groups
• Recorded in-person panels
• Mock jury trials
• Usability testing
• Hybrid online and in-person focus groups

Civicom also offers its own AI-powered report generation tool called Quillit . Civicom's clients can use Quillit to create summaries, produce research reports, and format documents. The tool is GDPR and HIPAA compliant, too.

The company's ability to conduct hybrid focus group sessions is notable—if you aren't sure what kind of market research work you need, Civicom is a good place to start.

You'll need to call, email, or chat with Civicom team members online to learn more about options and pricing.

17. Cascade Insights

Cascade Insights is a custom market research firm for B2B technology companies.

Cascade Insights works with companies that produce a product or service related to:

• Generative AI
• Cybersecurity
• Internet of Things (IoT) devices
• Computer hardware
• IT infrastructure

You can work with Cascade Insights to learn more about your ideal B2B customer through several types of market research services including:

• Customer experience research
• Product research
• B2B marketing and sales enablement research

Unlike some of its competitors, Cascade Insights continues to support its customers beyond the handoff of research findings. Every report comes with a plan for implementing the firm's findings.

The company also provides additional optional consulting and support services including strategy mentorship, marketing audits, and done-for-you marketing content.

If you're interested in working with Cascade Insights, you'll need to get in touch with the company to request a consultation and price quote based on your market research goals.

18. C+R Research

C+R Research is a qualitative and quantitative market firm delivering customer insights.

The firm serves a variety of consumer companies, including those focused on:

• Food and beverage
• Consumer packaged goods (CPG)
• Consumer equipment
• Financial services
• Media and telecom

The company provides support for their clients through qualitative, quantitative, and agile research services including:

• Advertising tests
• Package tests
• Pricing analysis
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Research panels and focus groups
• Online discussions
• In-depth interviews

C+R Research can also provide support for audience segmentation, customer journey mapping, and workshop facilitation.

If you're part of a consumer-focused brand and are interested in C+R Research services, you'll need to contact the firm to schedule a consultation.

Radius is a data science company focused on consumer research.

The company conducts more than one million quantitative surveys and 3,000 qualitative research sessions every year across 60+ countries. Radius conducts different types of research, including:

• Choice-based analysis
• Targetable segmentation
• Perceptual mind mapping
• Maximum difference scaling (MaxDiff)

The company applies these different techniques to research activities like:

• Retail shopping analysis
• Virtual and augmented reality experiences
• Ideation workshops
• Consumer chats
• Immersive insight sessions

Radius also says that it develops projects using a customized mix of non-traditional approaches—so if you've found it difficult to get the right research for your brand, Radius is worth a closer look.

To learn more about the company's techniques and methods, you'll need to contact the Radius team and schedule an initial meeting.

20. Corona Insights

Corona Insights is a bespoke market research services firm.

Like Cascade Insights, Corona works with its clients to develop a complete plan of action. This may entail:

• Identification of research needs
• Development of a research plan
• Execution of market research activities
• Review of findings
• Development of action plans

The company's primary and secondary data research services are broad, and include:

• Scientific surveys
• Online and in-person focus groups
• Statistical analysis
• Observational research
• Journey mapping
• Literature reviews
• User experience (UX) testing
• Econometrics

The company offers multilingual research, too. Coupled with the breadth of options, this makes Corona Insights a good fit for many companies across different industries and regions.

Potential clients must contact Corona Insights via their website to learn more about market research costs and services.

If you want a custom research solution, it's best to explore working with a market research consulting firm like Ipsos, Kantar, Corona Insights, or Radius.

For more self-directed or self-paced market analysis , tools like Exploding Topics and Knit might be a better fit.

Make sure that the tool you choose has the industry data, panelist profiles, or research approach you need to get the most accurate data for your company. With insights from the right market research agency, you'll be able to accurately and effectively improve strategy, product development, and more.

Find Thousands of Trending Topics With Our Platform

Earn More, Spend Less, Save the Bees

5 Market Research Companies That Pay For Your Opinion

Taking part in market research interviews and focus groups is a great little side hustle ! They’re often an easy and interesting way to earn a little extra cash. In some cases you may need to travel to the researchers office, but usually market research interviews are done via video call, over the phone or sometime in your own home.

Marketing research companies:

Payment can vary depending on the market research companies, but you can expect to earn around £50-£100 for talking to someone for an hour or so!

User Interviews

With over 2,000 studies launching monthly, there’s always plenty of paid market research opportunities on User Interviews. You can connect your Facebook or LinkedIn to qualify for more studies (there’s a demand for specific professions). You can expect:

• Focus groups 
• Usability studies
• In-depth Interviews
• Product testing
• Eye-tracking
• Online studies/panels 

Registration is free and it will only take a few minutes to set up. When a new projects comes in, you are sent an invitation email if you match the participants that they want. You will then find out how long the session will take, the general topic and how much you will be paid.

Register with User Interviews

Respondent.io is a website that helps companies find their ideal clients to give their opinions and test out their products before going to the market. As a respondent you have the opportunity to earn money by competing surveys, participating in focus groups and taking part in other studies.

Respondent.io claim the average study to pay $140/£110 per hour. Payment is made via PayPal. Expect to be paid within a few days of completing a research study. I have more information on Respondent but if you want to get started follow the link below.

Sign up to Respondent

Focus4People

Focus4People has built up an outstanding reputation for conducting qualitative market research for businesses across a range of sectors in London and other major cities in the UK. They also post their research opportunities on Twitter so it’s worth following them if you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to earn some £££’s.

You are given an incentive to cover the cost of transport and your time. This is paid in cash (£30 to £150). This will depend on the type of research you take part in.

Sign up to Focus4People

Bunnyfield is a department of Bunnyfoot UX consultancy. Specialising in finding and recruiting participants to take part in website research. This could be a travel agent who is trying to make their holiday booking form simpler, or the NHS trying to make it easier to find your local GP on their site for example. Their officer’s are based in London, Oxford and Sheffield! Here are some of the research sessions you could be invited to as part of bunnyfield’s research panel:

• Usability Research  – 1:1 sessions involving a Consultant talking you through a website, app, remote control etc to see where the usability could be improved for you and other users. 
• Focus Groups  – There will be a small number of you so you’ll need to feel confident speaking aloud in front of others. A moderator will lead the session and will take down notes.
• Card Sorting  – This session involves you sorting cards into groups that make sense to you.
• Online  – Online research can be completed from the comfort of your own home via an online chatroom or Skype call.

Sign up to Bunnyfield

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emma (Bee Money Savvy) (@beemoneysavvy)

Code 3 Research

Code 3 Research recruit people to take part in market research projects and give feedback about products and services. It is extremely important for brands and companies to obtain feedback from real people to try to understand various factors including how to improve a product or service.

There are many ways you can take part in market research sessions, you can go along to a local venue and take part in a session e.g. a Focus Group, User Test, Interview or Accompanied shopping session or you can just take part from the comfort of your own home or office e.g. through a Telephone interview, Diary Study, Product test, Online Panel or Ethnography Session.

Register with Code 3 research

Getting involved in market research is definitely worth a shot if you’re looking to make a bit of extra money! For more extra income opportunities see  my favourite side hustles  and  work from home jobs.

• Kale by LyraThemes.com.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

At ConsumersAdvocate.org, we take transparency seriously.

To that end, you should know that many advertisers pay us a fee if you purchase products after clicking links or calling phone numbers on our website.

The following companies are our partners in Paid Surveys:  Swagbucks ,  Survey Junkie ,  MyPoints ,  InboxDollars ,  Branded Research , and  Kashkick .

We sometimes offer premium or additional placements on our website and in our marketing materials to our advertising partners. Partners may influence their position on our website, including the order in which they appear on the page.

For example, when company ranking is subjective (meaning two companies are very close) our advertising partners may be ranked higher. If you have any specific questions while considering which product or service you may buy, feel free to reach out to us anytime.

If you choose to click on the links on our site, we may receive compensation. If you don't click the links on our site or use the phone numbers listed on our site we will not be compensated. Ultimately the choice is yours.

The analyses and opinions on our site are our own and our editors and staff writers are instructed to maintain editorial integrity.

Our brand, ConsumersAdvocate.org, stands for accuracy and helpful information. We know we can only be successful if we take your trust in us seriously!

To find out more about how we make money and our editorial process,  click here.

Product name, logo, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within our site are the property of their respective trademark holders. Any reference in this website to third party trademarks is to identify the corresponding third party goods and/or services.

Best Paid Surveys Based on In-Depth Reviews

• 200+ Hours of research
• 50+ Sources used
• 21 Companies vetted
• 4 Features reviewed
• 4 Top Picks

• Cash rewards are the least common payout option
• Rewards depend on the surveys available to your demographic group.
• When possible, create a separate email account to complete the surveys.
• Surveys can complement your earnings but won’t pay a living wage.
• How We Found The Best Paid Surveys
• Our Top Picks: Paid Surveys Reviews

You might have heard the story of how one guy earned over a million miles with pudding cups . Although true, these types of reward opportunities are rare. Paid surveys are not meant to replace your salary. Nevertheless, they can be an easy way to make some extra cash or get discounts and rewards from top brands. 

After hours of research, we determined that although some websites can be misleading, most live up to their promises. Our selection of the best paid surveys can help you get some extra cash or rewards out of simple tasks that you can complete in your free time. These are our recommendations:

• PrizeRebel review

Best Points Based System

Screenshot Prizerebel.com, June 2020

Prize Rebel takes our recommendation for best points based paid survey due to its variety of point-earning activities, simple point-to-dollar conversions, and a wide array of gift cards and cashout options. This service also offers more than 500 gift card options ranging from $2 all the way to $100. Cash rewards start as low as 500 points for $5 that can be exchanged via Bitcoin, Visa, direct bank payment, or PayPal within 24 hours.  

PrizeRebel provides points for watching videos, referrals, or with special deals showcased on their Offer Wall. If you participate and complete the instructions included with these offers, PrizeRebel will grant you additional points.

What’s more, points can be obtained through contests, events, and daily challenges. Raffles are conducted regularly for prizes such as Starbucks gift cards and Google Play credits. Special bonuses also provide you with points once your account reaches certain levels. The more you engage, the higher the amounts offered.  

• Further Insight Into Our Methodology

The first question we wanted to address with our research was just how much money you could actually make from answering paid surveys. The short answer is: not that much. The potential payout from these services is not nearly enough to quit your job, and any ad claiming to do so is likely clickbait. Still, there’s a real opportunity to gain an additional income source as well as valuable discounts and rewards for activities you’re probably already doing. 

Paid surveys are not limited to simply filling out questionnaires. Most offer a variety of ways with which to accrue cash or points from everyday purchases. We examined each service’s offers, coupons, and any activities that will provide rewards for your engagement. We favored companies with the most survey options, especially those offering deals and payouts through reputable (and recognizable) retailers and service providers. Knowing that most of your free time will not be necessarily spent in front of a computer, we made sure that our recommendations include a dedicated mobile application for use with both iOS and Android. 

Lastly, we focused on selecting legitimate services with a proven track record. We examined each company’s type of reward, whether cash or point-based exchange and favored services that detail the exchange rates and offer clear, thorough information on the redeeming process. Websites offering large rewards or lacking clear information on payout and data policies were cut from our list.

We examined each paid survey for its payout types. Companies that offer only gift cards or sweepstakes were eliminated, during this process. Instead, we favored paid surveys with various payment options, in particular those that offer detailed information regarding their payout practices. We also considered user reviews and experiences to make sure that the selected companies offer proven and quick payouts. Ultimately, we’ve only recommended services that pay in cash or that offer a points-based system with clear point-to-dollar rates. 

Let’s face it, nowadays most of our web browsing is done through our phones. Having the flexibility to complete surveys from your mobile device allows you to obtain rewards while on the go. We looked for services that offer user-friendly platforms and survey apps, making sure they’re available on both iOS and Android phones.

• Survey Alternatives

For the most part, surveys are directed to specific consumer groups. At times, you might go for weeks or even months without qualifying for surveys as these largely depend on what demographic the research is examining. Aside from the usual questionnaires, paid surveys offer a variety of ways in which to obtain cash and points for rewards. We favored services that offer alternative survey methods such as video, email reading, or gaming. 

• Coupons & Rewards

Besides cash and gift cards, legitimate paid surveys usually partner with known brands and services to present discounts, cashback, and other promotions. Some paid survey services hold sweepstakes and raffles as ways to garner additional points, while others give out points when you print and redeem coupons. We examined all the services for a variety of choices and favored those offering legitimate points or cashback programs with major retailers and service providers.

• Helpful Information about Paid Surveys

What are Paid Surveys? 

Paid survey software companies represent a $1.2 billion industry in the US alone. Paid surveys, statistical studies conducted by marketing research companies, are meant to obtain data on consumer practices and their demographics. In turn, the garnered data helps companies shape their offerings and can prove to be incredibly valuable when developing new products and services. To participate, subjects must meet the company’s given demographic criteria for that survey, which usually includes age and salary, as well as geographic and ethnic variables. Most online paid surveys take less than 15 minutes to complete.

A common misconception with paid surveys is that you can make a living off of them. This is far from true. Although particular surveys can occasionally pay participants a few hundred bucks, most online surveys pay anywhere from mere cents up to $10- $30 per questionnaire. Additionally, the majority of paid surveys won’t repay you with a cash amount, but instead, offer points to be redeemed for gift cards.

Search for the history of the company. Prefer services with years of experience and proven track records.

• What To Watch Out For With Paid Surveys

Services asking you to pay for access 

None of the paid surveys we’ve recommended, nor any of those we examined, required payment to participate. Paid survey services shouldn’t ask you to pay an upfront fee to participate or obtain access to survey lists. They might not necessarily be a scam, but you can access the same kind of surveys through websites where registration is free. 

Know who you are dealing with

Sites have been known to change names in order to disguise previous wrongdoings through a refreshed image. Although it’s not uncommon for companies to partner or even merge with other paid survey providers, it’s always a best practice to check with sites such as Survey Police or WHOis , and assess the legitimacy of the website before you register. 

Be mindful of the information you share

Remember: asking for general information to determine which demographic you fit into is normal. However, requests to provide personal information such as date of birth, social security numbers, or even bank account information are an enormous reg flag. Be mindful of what information is being asked of you and who you’re doing business with.

• FAQs About Paid Surveys

How much does a paid survey pay?

Paid surveys payout vary greatly and can go from a few cents all the way up to the hundreds. Most online surveys peak around $30 for the most time-consuming questionnaires. 

How fast do paid surveys payout?

Services usually have a threshold you need to meet in order to cashout. This can be anywhere from a few dollars and up to $30 dollars depending on the survey’s payout policy. Once you meet the minimum, payments can take anything from 24 hours to a month, depending on the service and the type of payment you request.

Can paid surveys be hacked?

Like all online services, paid surveys can be hacked. It’s good practice to read each service’s privacy policy, terms of use, and any information on the collection of information.

Do paid surveys offer insurance if my information gets stolen?

None of the services we examined offered any type of compensation in case your information is stolen. If you are doing paid surveys or if you frequently work or share personally-identifying information on the web, it would be best practice to employ an identity theft protection service to monitor your information online. 

Do survey companies have legal rights over the information I provide?

When engaging with paid surveys, keep in mind that you are agreeing to voluntarily provide information. Legitimate websites offer privacy policies. Furthermore, protection on the information you provide varies per state. For example, if you are a resident of California, the Consumer Privacy Act establishes that you may request to opt-out of the sale of your information.

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

For Women’s History Month, a look at gender gains – and gaps – in the U.S.

For American women, job opportunities look much different than they did 50 years ago. Women have made gains in labor force participation and wages, and they’ve increased their presence in the highest-paying jobs. Some of that progress has stalled in recent years, however, and large gender gaps persist at the top levels of government and business leadership.  

Ahead of Women’s History Month , here’s a look at some of these trends and data points, based on Pew Research Center surveys and analyses as well as federal data.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis ahead of Women’s History Month to better understand the gains women have experienced and the gaps that persist in the U.S. labor force, including in top government and business leadership positions.

Labor force data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. The civilian labor force includes those who are either employed or actively looking for work.

More information about the Center analyses and surveys, including their methodologies, can be found at the links in the text.

Women made up 47% of the U.S. civilian labor force in 2023, up from 30% in 1950 – but growth has stagnated, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows. The share of women in the labor force generally grew throughout the second half of the 20th century but has since leveled off.

The BLS projects that women will continue to make up  slightly less than half of the labor force through 2032.

Women outnumber men in the U.S. college-educated workforce, now making up 51% of those ages 25 and older, according to Current Population Survey data from the fourth quarter of 2023. Women first surpassed men in the college-educated labor force in the fourth quarter of 2019 . They remained more than half of this group through the COVID-19 pandemic , which resulted in a sharp recession and an overall decline in the size of the nation’s labor force.

The gender shift in the college-educated labor force happened about four decades after  women overtook men  in the number of adults earning a bachelor’s degree each year. 

About a third of workers in the country’s 10 highest-paying occupations (35%) are women – up from 13% in 1980, a November 2023 analysis of Census Bureau data shows. Women have increased their presence in almost all of these high-paying jobs. Workers in these occupations typically earn more than $100,000 a year and include physicians, lawyers and dentists.

Despite these gains, women are still the minority in nine of these jobs. Pharmacists are the exception: 61% are women. The share of women in the other nine occupations remains well below their share in the U.S. workforce overall.

The share of women in opposite-sex marriages who earn as much as or more than their husband has roughly tripled over the past 50 years, according to a spring 2023 analysis of Census Bureau data . In 2022, women were the sole or primary breadwinner in 16% of opposite-sex marriages, up from 5% in 1972. Husbands and wives are roughly equal contributors in 29% of marriages today, compared with 11% in 1972.

Looked at another way, husbands were the breadwinner in 85% of marriages 50 years ago. That has dropped to 55% of marriages today.

The gender pay gap – the difference between the median earnings of men and women – has remained relatively flat in the United States over the past two decades, according to an analysis of hourly earnings of full- and part-time workers . In 2022, U.S. women typically earned 82 cents for every dollar men earned. That was about the same as in 2002, when women earned 80 cents to the dollar. 

When asked about the factors that may play a role in the gender wage gap, half of U.S. adults point to employers treating women differently as a major reason, an October 2022 survey shows. Smaller shares point to women making different choices about how to balance work and family (42%) and working in jobs that pay less (34%).

Women are much more likely than men (61% vs. 37%) to say a major reason for the gap is that employers treat women differently. 

Women still lag in top leadership positions in business and government. Women have made inroads in a  wide range of leadership positions  in recent decades, but have not reached parity with their male counterparts in most cases. As of September 2023:

• Federal and state legislators: 28% of U.S. congressional members and about a third of state legislators are women.
• Governors: 8 Democratic and four Republican women serve as governors.
• Presidential Cabinet: President Joe Biden’s Cabinet is a rare example of gender parity in government leadership. Of 25 Cabinet or Cabinet-level positions, 12 are held by women (48%).
• Executive business leadership: 11% of Fortune 500 company CEOs are women, along with 30% of Fortune 500 board members.

Slim majorities of Americans say there are too few women in top political offices and executive business positions, a July 2023 survey shows . When it comes to the number of women elected to political office, 53% of adults say there are too few, 8% say there are too many, and 37% say it is about right. Views of women in business leadership are similar: 55% of adults say there are too few women in these roles, 6% say there are too many, and 37% say there are about the right number.

In both cases, Americans cite the same top reasons why there are fewer women than men in these roles: that women have to do more to prove themselves than men, and that women in each field face gender discrimination.

The public is divided over whether being a woman makes it more difficult to get ahead, according to an April 2023 survey . Half of Americans say that being a woman hurts a person’s ability to get ahead in the U.S., while 24% say it helps, and 25% say it neither helps nor hurts.

Women are more likely than men to say being a woman hurts one’s ability to get ahead in the U.S. (58% vs. 40%).

These divisions also exist in views of women’s standing in the workplace. A February 2023 survey found that 28% of employed adults say that being a woman makes it a little or a lot harder to be successful where they work, while just 11% say it makes things easier. Another 49% say being a woman makes things neither easier nor harder.

Women are more likely than men to say that being a woman makes it at least a little harder to be successful in their workplace (34% vs. 21%).

Note: This is an update of a post originally published on March 15, 2018.

• Economics, Work & Gender
• Gender & Leadership
• Gender & LGBTQ
• Gender & Work
• Gender Equality & Discrimination
• Gender Pay Gap

Katherine Schaeffer is a research analyst at Pew Research Center .

How Americans See Men and Masculinity

12th grade girls and boys in the u.s. have different views about gender discrimination in the workplace, about a third of un member states have ever had a woman leader, many catholics in the u.s. and latin america want the church to allow birth control and to let women become priests, among young u.s. workers without a college degree, men and women hold very different types of jobs, most popular.

901 E St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20004 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts , its primary funder.

© 2024 Pew Research Center