Ipsos Knowledge Panel
The Ipsos Knowledge Panel Review
Did you receive an invitation by post to join the Ipsos Knowledge Panel? Wondering if it’s legit? In this review, we’ll look closer at this survey site and examine its features, rewards, and overall user experience.
Andrew: Andrew is one of our reviewers who’s been with HuginX the longest. With a background in membership support at one of the largest survey companies, Andrew has a lot of inside knowledge of the Market Research industry and has helped us refine our reviewing criteria. When Andrew is not working with reviews, he likes to go hiking with his dog Charlie.
Is the Knowledge Panel legit?
Yes, you can trust that the Ipsos Knowledge Panel is legit for several reasons;
- Ipsos is a well-established market research company that has been in business for over 40 years.
- The Knowledge Panel has a transparent reward system, with clear information provided about the points users can earn for each survey and the redemption options available.
- Ipsos adheres to industry guidelines such as ESOMAR. The site clearly outlines its privacy policy and provides information about how user data is used and protected.
- Finally, the Ipsos Knowledge Panel has a long history of paying its users for completed surveys.
Note that it’s completely free to join the Knowledge Panel and you will not be asked to submit any financial information, such as your credit card numbers. If you suspect that someone is trying to scam you by falsely representing Ipsos, we recommend that you contact [email protected] to report the issue.
What’s the concept?
The Knowledge Panel is an invitation-only market research panel where members can earn rewards when providing their opinions. In contrast to a typical consumer panel, the Knowledge Panel is more focused on current events and politics. You will be asked to complete surveys for universities, public health bodies, charities, government organisations and well-known companies.
The rewards are above-average, but there’s a catch; only a few pre-selected addresses in the US and UK are invited to join every year. This makes the Knowledge Panel an exclusive survey community, only available to the ones receiving an official invitation letter through the post. The letter will provide you with a unique code which you need to enter either through the online portal, over the phone or by mailing it back in the provided envelope.Â
Here is an example of what the letter looks like (for US households):
There are two versions of the Ipsos Knowlege Panel:
- US-version: Originally created by two Stanford University professors in 1999. The panel is based on the concept of address-based sampling (ABS), offering a representative selection of the U.S. population including many under-researched and often harder-to-reach populations. Members are given 1,000 points for every survey session completed, which is equal to $1.
- UK-version: Ipsos UK randomly selects just a few addresses from around the country to invite them to become members of the Knowledge Panel. Members have the opportunity each month to take part in a few online polls and surveys. Every time members complete a survey, they gain points which they can exchange for vouchers.
Members of the Knowledge Panel will take part in political research and polling, usually as part of nationwide studies such as this one about the UK government’s Levelling Up initiative:
In the screenshots above you see some of the results from a study, tracking people’s opinions about the UK government’s Levelling Up initiative.
Only individuals who live in households that Ipsos invited can join the Knowledge Panel. Therefore, if you are invited to join, you cannot pass the invitation on to friends or family who do not live in your household. The panel is available in the US and the UK and helps track national trends in the economy, politics, entertainment, sports, and new products.Â
If you didn’t receive an invitation, but would still like to earn rewards by taking surveys from Ipsos, you should check out Ipsos iSay, which is free to join for everyone.
What makes the Knowledge Panel unique?
The Knowledge Panel enables Ipsos to conduct probability-based sampling to produce survey results for academic and government research, often published in peer-reviewed journals. With a panel size that is representative of the population, Ipsos employs an address-based sampling methodology that covers all households in the nation regardless of their phone and internet connectivity. In this way, the panel is much more representative of the population than a typical online survey panel where everyone can sign up.
For households without internet access, Ipsos even provides free tablets and internet service to ensure they can participate in the panel. By doing so, Ipsos is able to eliminate any differential mode bias, and can fully leverage online research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the public. Since 4% of households do not have internet access, it is essential that this group’s perspectives are also included to ensure the panel is truly representative of the wider society.
Why cannot anyone sign up for the panel?
The Knowledge Panel is a so-called invitation-only panel. Invitation-only panels can help ensure that a more representative and diverse group of individuals participate in research, which can help reduce the risk of self-selection bias and increase the accuracy and reliability of the research findings.
Self-selection bias occurs when individuals choose to participate in a research study based on their own characteristics, opinions, or behaviours, rather than being randomly selected or invited to participate. This can result in a non-representative sample, as those who choose to participate may be different from those who do not in ways that are relevant to the research question.
How many surveys will I receive?
Members earn points per survey session, and each survey takes approximately 15 minutes. Generally, you’ll be assigned up to three surveys a month, and some respondents will receive as many as six. The average time commitment is around two or three monthly surveys, and you can receive additional incentives for longer surveys. After completing each survey, you will receive points that can be exchanged for vouchers used with several retailers.
Top Rated Panels
- Transparent payment system
- Low redemption level
- High incentives compared to regular consumer survey sites
- Good selection of payment options
- Interesting survey opportunities
- High qualification rate
- Simple user interface
- Surveys are not always mobile-friendly
- Complex questions which can take a lot of concentration and time to fill out
- High quality survey experience
- Interesting surveys on trending topics
- You always qualify for surveys (once signed up)
- Well paid survey opportunities
- Tablet and free internet service offered to households without internet access
- Not possible to sign up without a special invitation
- Not too many survey opportunities (2-5 per month)
- Free to join
- Earn referral commissions
- Fair incentive level
- Good survey experience
- Professional MR company
- There is no signup bonus
- The minimum payout threshold is high
- PayPal and bank redemptions can take up to 30 working days to process
- Owned by one of the largest market research companies
- Above average payout per survey
- A low threshold to redeem rewards
- Easy to qualify for surveys
- Low volume of survey opportunities
- Technical glitches using the Pinecone Research app
- No payout threshold
- Gives loyalty credit if you do not qualify for a survey
- Above-average incentive levels
- Limited earning opportunities
- Hard to qualify and low pay for partner surveys
What type of surveys will I get invited to?
As part of the Knowledge Panel research panel, you’ll be able to participate in surveys related to national issues. You’ll receive points that can be exchanged for vouchers for your time. When you sign up, they will ask for basic demographic data and more interest-based questions. This also means they can invite you to surveys that are relevant to you. This includes questions about age, gender, work type, etc.
Summary – Pros and Cons
If you’ve received an invitation letter to join the Knowledge Panel, there are both pros and cons to consider. On the positive side, one of the most significant benefits is the high-quality survey experience. The site provides well-crafted, informative surveys on trending topics. The surveys are thoughtfully constructed, making the experience both informative and enjoyable compared to taking regular consumer surveys.
In addition to the quality and interesting surveys, Knowledge Panel is also easy to qualify for since you have already been pre-selected. This means that even if you don’t belong to a specific demographic that is high in demand, you can still participate in surveys and contribute your opinions. Also, since everyone are pre-qualified, you don’t have the issue of getting disqualified like with other survey sites.
Last but not least, the Knowledge Panel offer fair rewards as a token of appreciation towards its respondents. The site compensates its members fairly for their time and effort, making the whole process worthwhile.
There are a few potential drawbacks to the Knowledge Panel, starting with the fact that it’s an exclusive site only for members that receive invitations per post. The site has a limited number of spots available, and respondents are randomly selected based on their postcode.
Another consideration is that there aren’t too many survey opportunities available each month. While the site provides high-quality and interesting surveys, members typically only receive 2-5 opportunities per month. This may not be enough for those who are looking to maximize their earnings from taking surveys.
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