Before you consider as to whether it is worth to spend time on doing online paid surveys, we will briefly tell you what the use of online paid surveys is.   We all know that competition in the market is unavoidable.  Hence, in order to enhance companies’ products and or to create new products that are welcomed by customers, companies will use every possible ways to find out what products do the consumers want and prefer.

In this modern era, most, if not all, of us will go online very often and therefore, companies create online paid surveys to get in touch with consumers easily.  By consumers taking online paid surveys, the companies will be able to understand what consumers concern when buying a product, what additional service the consumers prefer, why more consumers are using product A instead of product B etc.

Through these surveys, the companies’ products and services are further improved or enhanced accordingly.  When these products and services satisfy many more customers, the companies will earn more money in return.

Now, refer back to the question posed above – whether it is worth to spend time on doing online paid surveys.  To reward the consumers for spending time to do the online paid surveys, the companies pay by way of cash or points or prizes.  Normally, surveys take you 5 – 25 minutes to do and then pay you around $1 – $100 per survey.  It usually depends on the length and or the complexity of the surveys.  If you are an expert in your field such as engineering, the companies will pay more as they value your expert opinion.

The subsidiary question is how can you find those market research firms?  You can rely on the online paid survey databases which will help you to find the highest online paid surveys.  Some of the companies charge you when you sign up, go for those which are free-of-charge if you do not want to spend at all.  Be aware of online survey scams, there is no guarantee as to whether it is a scam.  Hence, what you can do is to either avoid surveys that require membership fees or google the companies’ names to check out whether there is any forum that commented on the companies.

Another subsidiary question is whether you can earn a lot from doing these online paid surveys.  The answer is highly unlikely, if not impossible.  If you want an income of around $500 from taking online paid surveys, it is possible and reasonable.  Be ready to commit at least 2 hours each day to do these online paid surveys.  Don’t give up your full time job because of this unless your expenses each month is very little and even so, it does not guarantee that you have a fixed income from doing the paid surveys.

A different type of paid survey is provided by focus group.  You can hardly find this sort of paid surveys online.  Instead, you need to visit the venue of where the focus groups’ meetings take place.  This type of paid surveys will pay you more, usually around $75 to $300 per hour.  If you have the opportunity to try on these surveys provided by focus group then hold on them.  You will expose to more of these in big cities.  To increase your chances in doing surveys for focus groups, you need to register yourselves with various survey groups.

Another different type of paid survey is by way of telephone surveys.  This kind of paid survey won’t provide you the pay as in focus groups.  The pay is similar to the online paid surveys.  However, better not register under these telephone surveys if you have children at home.  You cannot foresee as to what time the company will call you to carry out the surveys.  Your children could distract your attention from doing the surveys.

Finally, what is the answer to the above posed question?  It really depends on what you desire.   It is worth if you just want to earn a small income but if you are expecting to earn million of dollars, online paid survey is not your choice.