FAQs
How do I sign up?
It's super easy! Simply click on the Join our community button to register and receive email updates about new paid research studies.
Once you have signed up, you will receive emails from us notifying you of new paid market research and usability testing opportunities, referral offers and, sometimes, our newsletter. The frequency of emails you receive will vary depending on your location, your demographic information and how complete your profile is. When you spot an opportunity you are interested in, apply to take part.
How do I apply to an opportunity?
If you want to apply to take part, please click on the ’Apply here’ button on one of our emails or log in to your account on our website and apply to any of the opportunities there. You will then be taken through a short questionnaire; we use the answers to these questions to determine who may be eligible to take part in our paid research studies.
How do I refer someone to take part?
If you received an email or spotted an opportunity on our website that made you think of a friend or family member, then that person could be suitable to take part in paid research in the UK or abroad and you could win a reward for referring them.
We only offer rewards for specific projects, so please check the information for each opportunity to find out if this is the case. If the webpage or email does not specifically mention a referral fee, this means we are not offering a reward for referrals. You can still share that study with a friend or family member and they are welcome to apply via their own PFR account (never through yours).
If the webpage or email invite you to refer someone who could be suitable and specifically mention a referral fee, please follow the correct process:
- Share the webpage link with them.
- They will then have to create their own account and apply to the pre-qualifying questionnaire, which will help us determine if they are suitable.
- At the beginning of the questionnaire, there will be a text box in which they will be prompted to enter the name and email address of the person who referred them. This is how we connect the referee to the participant and ensure you can get paid for your referral.
We cannot accept referrals of participants without their consent, so please do not send us their contact details directly. Your referee must sign up and apply themselves.
For more information on what constitutes a suitable referral, please read our Referral Scheme terms and conditions.
Can everyone take part in research?
Pretty much everyone can take part in paid market research or paid usability testing sessions as long as they are over 16 years old. People for Research are not able to include minors in paid research without their parents' or guardians' permission and presence during the sessions. If a client asks us to find people younger than 16 years old for paid research, we always recruit them via their parents or guardians.
Where does the research takes place?
The majority of our paid research studies takes place in the UK, but we are growing our presence worldwide and have recruited for projects in over 40 countries. A lot of our projects happen remotely, which means you can take part from the comfort of your home, as long as you are based in the country where the research is happening.
How old do I need to be to take part?
We recruit people of all ages for paid research projects. However, the legal age to take part in paid research without consent from a parent is 16 years old, and the majority of our research is relevant to those aged 18+. Anyone under the age of 16 will be recruited via a parent or guardian, who will also be required to attend the research session (and will also receive an incentive).
What is an incentive?
The incentive is what you will get in return for participating in the research. The incentive is usually cash and this can range from £25 – £250. We usually have two types of project: consumer studies and business studies. For consumer studies, the average incentive is £50 for one hour, while for the business studies, the average incentive is £80 for one hour. The longer or complex the project, the higher the incentive will be.
What is the Accessibility Collective?
The Accessibility Collective is an exclusive group of participants who have special requirements when it comes to accessing services online, due to their disabilities and impairments. You can find out more about it here.
What topics of research are there?
Topics for discussion can range from car insurance, holidays, education, investments, business banking… the list goes on. Whatever the topic, there is always a piece of research suitable for you. You can find out more about the types of research studies here.
What time does the research take place?
A large proportion of usability testing sessions takes place during the daytime (working hours), whilst market research focus groups tend to be in the evening. And then we also have our unmoderated studies and tasks, which can be completed when convenient for you, as long as you do it before their deadline. Each project is different and we can also offer evening or weekend slots, depending on the availability of the research team and the project in hand.
How long does a research session last?
The majority of our projects require people for one hour, but if taking part in a remote session we do ask that you start the login process 10 minutes before the research starts to ensure you are on time. The length of the session depends on the project: a short paid survey may last five minutes, whilst a focus group could be up to three hours. Diary studies on the other hand, could last a month or longer, but would not require constant participation (e.g. you may need to only carry out a short task for five minutes, once a day). When we invite you to apply for a paid research study, we will always let you know how long the session will last.
How do I take part in remote research?
Taking part in remote research means you can do it from the comfort of your own home, workplace or even a café, as long as you have the right conditions to do so. We have put together this handy general guide to help you, but we also have specific guides to help you use different platforms that may be required for remote research in our Helpful Guides section.
Who is running the research?
We work with a number of clients, ranging from small start-ups to global brands, as well as government departments and public organisations or charities.We also work with a lot of user research, UX and design agencies that run the research on behalf of their clients. Unfortunately, most times we are not able to disclose this information when we announce a project on our website, via email or on social media, but if you are selected to take part in a paid research study and you are expected to share your personal data with a client, we will make the client's identity clear to you and you are likely to be asked to sign a consent form where this information is stated.
If taking part in a moderated study, the session will be conducted by a professional working for the agency or the client that is commissioning the opportunity.
What happens during a research session?
Each project is unique and what happens during a session will depend on the type of research and the topic. We have a useful guide here that lists most types of research and the differences between them.
What’s my unique participant ID?
If you have been invited to complete a survey or an unmoderated task, we will provide you with a PFR ID so the client can see your responses without being able to identify you or access and keep your contact details. The PFR ID will be provided in an email and you are required to use it so we can both identify your submission and also protect your data.
How do I unsubscribe?
You can unsubscribe at any time from all our email communications, but still keep your account open. To do so, log in to your account, go to the 'Preferences' area and select the option 'No' under 'Communications and emails'. Please allow up to seven days for the unsubscribe to take effect due to already scheduled emails.
Some people are not interested in receiving invites to complete surveys with prize draws. but still want to find out about incentivised research. To do this, go to the 'Preferences' area and select the option 'No' under 'Surveys with prize draws'.
If you unsubscribe from receiving emails, you will still be able to log into your account and apply to take part in paid research studies.
How do I close my account?
To close your account, simply log in to your account, go to the 'Account settings' area and click 'Close my account'. Your account will be closed effective immediately and you will not be able to apply to paid research opportunities.
Closing your account does not mean your personal data is deleted. To request this, please email gdpr@peopleforresearch.co.uk.
How do I change my details?
You have access to your data, so you can amend your data at any time. Just log in to your account to make the necessary changes. If you experience any issues while trying to do this, please email support@peopleforresearch.co.uk and we will be able to help.
How does People for Research deal with complaints?
Although we strive to provide a high-quality service, we understand that from time to time participants have concerns they would like to raise. Whether you have a general enquiry or would like to share some feedback, you can reach our team via support@peopleforresearch.co.uk or call 0117 921 0008.
How is my data protected?
All data is handled in accordance with current data protection legislation. We will never sell your details to any third-party and we will never try to sell you anything. To find out more about how we handle your personal data, please read our policies and terms.
To verify our registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller, visit this page.
