A paid or incentivized survey is a type of statistical survey where the participants/members are rewarded through an incentive program, generally entry into a sweepstakes program or a small cash reward, for completing one or more surveys.
A paid survey is used to collect quantitative information about the participants' personal and economic habits set against their particular demographic.
Legitimate surveys are usually unpaid (as with a Gallup poll) or incentivized. Surveys where the respondent must pay or purchase products to join a panel are generally scams, as are sites that disappear before paying the participants.[1] Legitimate surveys do not need credit card information from respondents.[2]