Completing surveys is popular with those looking for a little extra cash, but how much can you really expect to make from it.
Well, we were pleasantly surprised with our Prolific Surveys review.
Whilst you will not make a whole amount of money, we feel it is definitely better than most.
But is it still worth your time??
Product Review Summary
Product Name: Prolific Academic (Surveys)
Owner: Oxford University Innovation
Product Type: Online Surveys for Research
Price: Free to Join
Best For: Casual Money Hunters
Summary:
Founded in 2014, Prolific Academic allows you to earn money from completing surveys and short tests including skype calls and possibly visits for the benefit of researchers at mainly universities. The pay-out is pretty good for the act of completing surveys and the low pay-out threshold is a benefit too.
It is not going to make you a full-time income, but if you are just looking into making the a few quid on the side this might be for you.
Rating: 75/100
Recommended? Yes, if you want casual cash earnings
What is Prolific Surveys?
Prolific Academics is offered out by the Oxford University Innovation Software Incubator. What this means is it is mainly studies being complete at various universities around the world that needs input from the general public.
The example I use, is a survey I completed for a university in Norway that was working on Decision Making.
It actually started as a crowdfunded platform and was founded in 2014. People who were completing these surveys needed an easier way of finding people to take part in surveys for their scientific research.
There is a slightly different slant on their platform compared to other survey sites like Swagbucks, and this is on a number of different levels.
Firstly, they are not geared towards their own profit margins, you are not going to earn a fortune completing these surveys, but the rewards are much better than most I have found.
The surveys are not the normal tripe you get, where it is all about shopping habits. There are some really fun surveys to complete, like the cognitive ones where you have to press a certain letter on your keyboard when a sound happens.
You can also take part in surveys via skype or even take part in sessions at a centre where they pay your travel expenses, etc.
I also get all the information upfront before deciding whether to complete a survey including the reward, how many spaces are left and how long the survey should take.
How Does Prolific Surveys Work?
Registration is pretty straightforward, with the usual email verification process in place. Once you do that, you get to complete some pre-screening questions. These do take a while and there is sometimes more the next time you log in, but nothing to worry about. Grab a cup of tea and sit down to tackle them.
Now, unlike other sites where you complete these pre-screening questions and still get asked some before a survey only to find out you do not qualify, you do not get this with Prolific.
It takes about 20 minutes to complete these surveys, but the clever guys behind it only show you surveys you can complete.
If it shows on your dashboard, you will be accepted.
The only thing to consider when completing any survey is that the researcher reviews your completion before releasing the funds into your account. This is a way of authorising that they have got what they needed from your responses and you haven’t rushed it.
Get rejected will affect what they call your Prolific Score
Watch Your Prolific Score
Everyone starts out with a prolific score of 100. If you are getting rejected from Researchers, you lose the money you were supposed to receive, and you also lose some of that score.
Unfortunately, some people get into that mindset that “the quicker I complete the surveys, the more money I will earn”. This takes away the mindset, because this is scientific research and the people behind them really care. There needs to be an element of integrity, and this score system is a good feature in my mind.
The researchers do in a sense have the power over whether they pay you or not, but throughout the surveys I have completed, there are none that were too difficult, and the researchers paid out quite quickly too.
It is also worthwhile to mention that if the researcher does not approve it within 21 days, it is auto-authorised. So at most you might wait 21 days for the money to clear.
There are those who like to complete surveys because it gives them something to do, not necessarily about the money and Prolific caters for this with the option to give it to charity.
Weekdays you will see quite a few surveys dropdown, do not expect to see any the weekend. This kind of works with universities, so I expect the holidays will impact this too.
How Do You Get Paid?
Once researchers have approved your funds, it appears in your Prolific Dashboard. The threshold to withdraw your money is £5, but you will pay fees at this level. But if you wait until £20, there are no fees.
They offer payment via PayPal or Circle.
If you are withdrawing below £20, the fees are:
Circle – 1% + 10p fee
PayPal – 2.9% +20p fee
Payments will be made either Tuesday or Friday. My advice would be is wait until £20. I found it didn’t take that long to make that much.
Referral Program
You can earn commissions by referring your friends and family, much like Swagbucks offers. You are provided with a referral link and as long as they use that link, register and complete a survey you get a reward. The amount varies, depending on how many surveys they complete.
Who Will Benefit from Prolific Surveys?
Completing surveys is only ever going to supplement a wage and not replace it, but anyone interested in completing surveys to fill time or for pocket money would find Prolific a better option than most out there.
Anyone can apply for joining, as it covers worldwide. Their website does state there are some restrictions in some countries but am unable to identify which countries these are at present.
What is Good About Prolific Surveys (PROS)
Here is what we liked about it:
Only See Relevant Surveys
What bugs me about most survey sites is that they show you hundreds of surveys for you to complete, only then to find out you are not eligible. But prolific surveys is not like that, they only show you surveys you are able to complete.
Better Pay-Outs
A typical example of another survey site, like Swagbucks is a high figure to reach to get paid and a low figure earned for every survey. 2 SB points for a survey and you need 720 SB points to get paid. I consider that a waste of time, but Prolific give you a decent pay out. I completed 4 surveys and had earned close to £10. You are not going to get rich with it, but for some surveys, Prolific pays well.
Low Pay-out Threshold
Getting paid is really easy, and unlike a lot of others you do not need to wait to have earned a high figure to get paid. You can choose to withdraw your money at £5 with fees, or £20 with no fees.
They Explain to You Why?
Ever wonder why they are asking you to answer certain questions? Sometimes it doesn’t matter, but I do find it interesting to know why we are doing certain tests. Especially the cognitive surveys where you are asked to click certain responses and see how you get on. These studies are from universities and there must be a reason and they tell you the reason before you complete the survey
Referral Program
Prolific Surveys also provides you the way to refer your friends and family and earn a pay-out when they register and complete surveys.
What Could Prolific Surveys Improve on? (CONS)
Here is what we didn’t like:
You Complete a Survey & Could Still be Rejected?
As these surveys are for studies, you could complete a survey and still be rejected by the survey owner. This will affect your earnings and your prolific score too.
Not Going to Earn You a Full-Time Income
Completing surveys might fill your time whilst bored, and you might make a little money. But you could put your time to better use and follow the path we took and earn money from affiliate marketing, learn how we got started here.
My Honest Opinion of Prolific Surveys
If you are happy to complete some surveys for a little cash, Prolific Surveys might be exactly what you are looking for.
The surveys tend to be fun; they have a purpose and you get some insight into why these universities are completing these surveys.
It has a low threshold for you to target and only get shown relevant surveys, but the researchers can still reject you even though you have completed the survey.
Overall, this is one of the better survey sites and has much better returns than others too.
However, you are not going to earn a full-time income from completing surveys – but if you are happy to take this road, Prolific is a good bet.
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Thanks for taking the time to read our Prolific Surveys review. If you have any questions or want to share any experiences with Prolific Surveys, then please write them in the comment below and we will respond as soon as we can.
