Pros and Cons of taking paid online surveys for money.
If you are looking for work from home opportunities, then it's likely you have seen ads to participate in paid online surveys. Often the information presented is misleading because it suggests earnings that aren't realistic. Therefore, this article aims to explore the pros as well as cons of online surveys by detailing some things you should consider before signing up for them.
1. Most surveys don't pay very much
Despite what the ads might suggest, most surveys don't offer a significant reward which is of course a con. In fact, a lot of the time you will only be entered into a prize draw or gain some points that you can redeem at a later date. Therefore, for most people, deciding to participate in surveys is more about having your voice heard in various ways, and having your voice heard is a big advantage.
It's certainly rewarding and a major pro to see how your opinions can shape new products and services. Occasionally you may come across more lucrative opportunities, but this is often going to involve more than answering a few questions. The higher paid opportunities typically are focus groups that may include traveling to a location to participate.
2. You won't qualify for every opportunity
One of the more frustrating things and a major disadvantage about participating in online surveys is qualification is not automatic. Don't assume that just because you received an email invite that you will be entitled to the reward. Most of the time, the study will begin with some screener questions, and if you don't fit what they are looking for, then you won't be rewarded.
The reality to this con is you can spend a lot of time answering screener questions from the provider, only to find you don't qualify. This also makes the situation deceptive because it may seem like there are more opportunities than you are going to be rewarded for. If you are going to participate in online surveys or focus groups, then you need to have a reasonable amount of time available.
3. Anyone can take a paid online survey, regardless of education, race, or background
This is a big advantage to them. In fact, your chances of receiving money (or a higher payout) may be increased if you are in a hard to reach or not “common” demographic group. As many surveys target small, hard to reach groups.
Obviously not needing experience, education, or a certain skill set is a major pro for anyone looking to take online surveys. All you need is access to a computer or smartphone – nothing else matters. Find other great job positions for seniors or the disabled.
4. It's necessary to register with various survey panels
As mentioned, individual surveys don't usually pay much. So, you will need to register with many different survey panels to build any decent income. You will also notice that different panels reward in different ways. For example, some will only offer prize draws while others may offer gift cards or cash rewards. The ability to earn different rewards is a pro, but registering with multiple paid sites is a con due to the time and administrative hassle.
Also, if you are answering surveys from different panels, then it may take some time before you can redeem rewards with any of them. It's also true that your email inbox will be filled with a lot of spam as a result. However, you need the diverse opportunities to have success with this opportunity.
5. Online surveys can be tedious
The idea of giving your opinion via online surveys sounds good in theory. In reality, the experience of filling them out isn't so exciting. As mentioned, first you must get through the screener questions to even have the opportunity to complete the rest of the survey. Now, if the reward is good, then you may well feel it's worth 20 or 30 minutes of your time.
However, most of the time, the rewards are so low that 30 minutes spent may not feel like such a good idea. The questions are often incredibly similar, and they will ask the same things in different ways to try and catch you. This makes the whole experience less fun and more of a chore. You will also encounter various questions to test if you are reading things accurately.
Now, you may be able to get through one survey like that. Remember though, to make a decent amount of income you are going to have to do many of these repetitive surveys. This is one of the reasons that the opportunity isn't quite as good in practice as it seems in theory.
6. Be on the lookout for scams
Only sign up for the legitimate online survey companies, which we have a list of. Or do research on your own and/or review terms and conditions of the provider. While scams do exist with survey or marketing companies, fraud and scams exist in life or anything online. Just be sure to do your homework before sharing anything that is too personal.
7. They are usually free to take, which is both a pro and con
One big advantage is obviously the low cost, or ability to take a survey from home for free. This means no upfront costs, which makes it even easier for lower income families, seniors, or the disabled to earn some extra cash from online survey companies.
However, that “freeness” can also be a con. As it limits the amount of money that someone may earn as many people may sign up. More people registered means less possible income. As online survey companies make their money from advertisers, and then the survey provider will pay out that ad money to survey participants. What this means is that a free survey may attract thousands (or more) of registrants, so the pot of money that can be earned will be spread out more thus equating to smaller payments.
Bottom line advantages and disadvantages of paid online surveys
If you do any search for legitimate, paid work from home opportunities, it's incredibly likely that you will see information on online surveys. Online surveys are a genuine opportunity that come with both pros and cons. Keep in mind the likely earnings are sometimes more difficult to get and unfortunately may be often exaggerated. The maximum payout(s) may be more time consuming or challenging to get.
Before you sign up for survey panels, you should consider a few different topics. It is important to know that most surveys don't pay much, you won't qualify for every opportunity from every provider out there, and it's necessary to register with various panels. Another downside, while subjective, is that some people feel that online surveys can be tedious. Always keep all of these factors in mind.
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