So. . .what is YouGov.com?
YouGov.com is an online global community of people who like to share their views and opinions on life.Although it does offer full length, paid surveys, the site is marketed more towards individuals who wish to express their opinions about current events and controversial topics. The information YouGov collects through its polls is accumulated into statistics and published daily on their site. YouGov promotes the use of their poll results by companies, governments, and institutions to, as they put it, “better understand the people that sustain them.”
More about the Company:
YouGov is an online market research firm which was founded in the UK in the year 2000. Their research methodology is based on weighing responses collected through online polls in accordance with demographic information.
With its headquarters in the UK, YouGov has multiple bases of operation in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
How does it work?
After completing the simple sign up process which requires only an email and password, YouGov prompts you to take your first survey.
Full length surveys on YouGov.com offer you points which can be redeemed for a variety of rewards including t-shirts, tote bags and gift cards. YouGov offers gift cards for many brands include VISA, Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and iTunes.
A $15 Amazon gift card is redeemable for 35,000 points on YouGov. In our experience, it takes longer and requires more effort to earn that $15 gift card on YouGov than it does on other paid surveys sites. For example, Swagbucks.com offers a $25 Amazon gift card for only 2,200 of its points called “SB,” and you'll be able to earn those 2,200 points much faster.
The first survey which YouGov prompts you to take once you've signed up is worth 2,000 points. It basically serves to flesh out your profile with more in-depth questions about you like your race, gender, and date of birth. YouGov provides explanations for why they request this information and how all of it is used.
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Are there other ways to earn?
There aren't many options for you when it comes to winning points on YouGov. Pretty much the only way to earn points is by taking the occasional survey that becomes available.
That said, in addition to taking surveys, the site does offer a referral program.
YouGov provides the opportunity for you to earn points for every friend you refer to their site using your unique link. Once a friend has signed up and completed 3 surveys on YouGov, you will receive 4,000 points and he or she will be rewarded an additional 2,000 points.
If you're an experienced affiliate marketer, you can earn up to $3 per lead if you apply for YouGov's affiliate program.
Is it a scam?
To the extent which we have reviewed YouGov.com, we have found all the indications of it being a legitimate survey site. Our research has included creating multiple accounts, taking several surveys, and looking in to the privacy policy as well as other technical aspects of the site. However, we haven't gone so far as to redeem any acquired points for actual rewards.
We appreciate the fact that YouGov's privacy policy is very clear and readily available to its users. It states that they are committed to protecting your information and will never sell it to third parties or send you spam. Should you sign up, YouGov promises never to edit, share, or disclose any of your information without your express permission.
Some Pros and Cons of YouGov.com:
The Pros: YouGov.com offers a simple, minimalist design on a platform that's easy to follow. Signing up takes less than five minutes and YouGov explains exactly how all your information will be used and why its required. YouGov also has a free mobile app available in the App Store and on Google Play. If you sign up, you have the opportunity to share your views, allowing the information which governments and major corporations collect from YouGov to be more accurate and representative.
The Cons: It takes a long time to rack up points on YouGov.com. Other than surveys, the site doesn't offer many ways to earn points. On average, only one paid survey is available per day on YouGov.com and they are usually worth no more than 500 points. In addition, YouGov's points are worth much less in terms of rewards compared to other paid survey sites.
Should you sign up?
Well, it depends.
YouGov is marketed as a space for individuals to have an impact on society by providing their opinions. YouGov's surveys are geared towards people who want to give input on pressing topics and aspects of life with the bonus of receiving some rewards for doing so.
If that describes you, we definitely recommend that you sign up! You can do so here: YouGov.com
However, if you're on the hunt for a paid survey site with lots of options to rack up rewards, we don't recommend YouGov.com. The infrequent availability of paid surveys on their site and the high rate of exchange from points to actual rewards just does not make them a viable option for the keen, paid survey hunter.
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If you fall into this second category and are on the hunt for an awesome paid survey site, you should check out Swagbucks! To see why we think it's currently the best paid survey site out there, check out our review of Swagbucks.
