2021 wrapped: the year's best paid research opportunities

Now we are nearing Christmas and the end of 2021, we at PFR, are reminiscing on the year of research that has just been. Thousands of participants took part in paid research with us in a wide range of topics. From research about the health of the nation, to what you do for relaxation, we asked you a lot of questions and you provided the answers!

We asked our participants and our recruiting project managers what their favourite projects were, and the results are in. In this blog you can see what to expect from paid research, and what you may be able to take part in, in 2022! Here are our favourites of 2021…

🛂 The biggest biometric trial in the UK ever!

The lovely people of Manchester were invited to test out new security technology that will be introduced into airports and seaports. Several different types of new equipment were being trialled and participants had to pretend they were going through customs… but we weren’t checking their bags! All that was needed was a scan of the passport and face to teach the artificial intelligence behind the technology how to carefully match the user to the passport. This testing has a particular focus to reducing racial bias in technology, so the pool of participants was as diverse and inclusive as possible!

Some of the participants had this to say:

“I found the research really interesting and felt like it benefitted the future of travel for the UK.” – Jawad

“The hospitality on the day was superb, the technology was really interesting and it was well organised.” – Alan

Participants received £100 for the day and each day an extra £500 prize draw was up for grabs for one lucky person. Lunch and snacks were included too. Quite a good day out and all you had to do was turn up with your passport to test out the newest technology on the block.

🦉 Helping a national nature charity!

Our team recruited parents across the UK to talk about how they help their children feel more connected to nature. This research was particularly focused on helping children in cities and urban areas. Whether this is a walk through a park, or an activity to help them identify flowers and birds, we can all agree it’s important for children to get some fresh air and play in the mud!

Parents were paid a £40 bank transfer for 45 minutes of their time and got to improve how children can connect to the great outdoors. There were several rounds of this throughout 2021, as well, so plenty of opportunity to participate.

📺 What’s on the telly?

If you like watching the latest shows, then you would love this research! The nation’s favourite broadcaster wanted to see what about TV gets you excited. To do this, they analysed people’s heart rate changes during TV shows that participants selected. All that was needed was a heart rate monitor, like a Fitbit, and a bit of free time to watch the television.

People noted down what shows they chose to watch and shared their heart rate data with the researcher. For their time watching their favourite TV, participants were paid £120 to watch six shows.

🥔 Eat a potato…

We sent 132 people three kilos of potatoes for free to try at home! They were asked to cook with this new type of potatoes and give feedback in three short surveys. This was a perfect session for home cooks and spud connoisseurs.

Participants received the new strain of potatoes that needed to be rigorously tested, boiled, roasted, mashed, and stewed to see what the nation’s preferred method was.

Most potatoes come with a serving suggesting on the packet, so PFR participants helped to guide the future potato buyers on how to prepare a super spud.

🌈 Help the NHS

In 2021, the NHS have done their utmost to look after the nation. Many of our participants wanted to help however they could and did so by taking part in paid research. We have worked closely with the National Health Service this year and had projects almost every week to support the growth of useful data in the UK.

“Working in education and as a key worker, we are doing regular testing. I believe research brings a lot of benefit into any sector and helps improve the facilities and service delivery. I wanted to take part in NHS research to improve my own understanding and help other people!” – Mirela

One of our most recent projects was a diary study whereby people were asked how COVID-19 has affected their daily lives. Up to £375 was up for grabs if they completed all the tasks over the three-week period; this included a few short interviews and a short journal entry. All this information is invaluable to the running of our brilliant healthcare system, and we are grateful for everyone who took part!

These were just a few of the hundreds of research projects we ran in 2021, so if you are interested in taking part in research like this, then make sure to join our community and browse our current paid research studies.