Current and future members
The American Population Panel was launched in June 2017 with the intent of matching willing participants to social science and health-related studies. To do so, we recruit individuals to join the panel who are ages 18 and older living in the United States.
Dr. Elizabeth Cooksey, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at The Ohio State University, is the principal investigator of the American Population Panel. She is the person who oversees the panel operation and is responsible for how panel members' information is maintained, accessed and used for research.
The information you provide in the registration process is how we match you to the needs of each survey. For example, if a researcher is studying diabetes in men ages 45 and older, a corresponding survey invite will be sent to panel members who fit both the gender and age requirements of the study. It is possible to be matched to one or more surveys at any given time, as well as go for a period of time without receiving a survey invitation.
All panel member information is protected under strict data security protocols. We DO NOT share or sell any of your information which differentiates us from many marketing panels. Only a small number of panel staff have access to your personal information for administration purposes, such as preparing the survey invites and sending your payment after you complete a survey. That same personal information is never shared with the researchers — they only see the resulting data from completed surveys.
Your individual responses and opinions are vital for the research being conducted through the American Population Panel. By certifying your individual participation in the Panel, you agree that you are completing only one survey per study and will only be compensated for one survey per study. The exception to this is when a study specifically asks you to complete more than one survey. If we detect that you have set up more than one account or identity, it could result in disqualification from future studies.
So you might be wondering: Why should I join?
As a panel member, you will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of surveys, contributing valuable insight that will help further research across many different fields. You play an integral role in shaping important health and social science policies, or contributing to a better understanding of the needs of your community and the society we live in when you share your life experiences, views and opinions with the researchers who bring their projects to the panel.
The surveys you receive are developed by researchers in a variety of disciplines. Longer, paid surveys are led by a principal investigator who often has grant funding to pay for panel member incentives. In these instances, every effort will be made to send your e-gift card within fifteen business days of survey close. We are currently paying around $10 for approximately 15 minutes of your time or $40 for an hour long survey in the form of an e-gift card. The exact amount varies based on each researcher's budget, but we encourage them to pay you a fair amount for the time you share with us. We do not use a point accrual system like a marketing panel. You will be paid the amount listed in the survey invite when you complete the survey. You may also opt out of any survey and wait for the next match, or opt out of the panel altogether if you should change your mind.
The APP also helps produce surveys for non-profit organizations who are developing community initiatives and need data for their outreach programs. In other instances, such as the Mini Surveys, junior researchers and graduate students design brief surveys with a prize drawing as part of their research training. The Mini Surveys average about 5 minutes to complete with a chance to win one of several e-gift cards per Mini Survey. For questions about incentives (e-gift cards), please visit our FAQs page.
We would like to thank current panel members and future participants for helping us imagine, inquire, inspire and inform the advancement of science. We value your time and insights and look forward to a continued partnership.
