Here you’ll find some of the most frequently asked questions about OpinionWorld, your privacy and taking surveys.
Questions about Privacy
Who can I talk to if I have any Privacy concerns?
Answer: A link to our Privacy Policy is available at the bottom of most pages on the OpinionWorld website including this page. Please review our privacy policy for contact information.
If I become a member of OpinionWorld, will I receive e-mails advertising other products and services?
Answer: No. We do not sell or give away the contact details of our members and we carry no advertising on the site. We will never try to sell you a product or service, and companies who use our services have no direct access to your details.
Why do you need my personal information?
Answer: We need personal information about you to tailor survey invtiations to you; to allow SSI to better interpret survey results; and to allow SSI to communicate with you about your panel membership and survey participation. Please refer to our Privacy Statement for more information.
Why did I get an e-mail with a link to join OpinionWorld if I didn't apply myself?
Answer: It is possible that someone made a typing error and accidentally submitted your e-mail address while asking to become a member of OpinionWorld. It's also possible that someone has used your e-mail address without your permission. If you don't want to join, simply ignore the email and the reminder that will be sent. Your details will not be included on our members' list and you will not be contacted again. If you keep receiving e-mails you can click on the helpdesk link within every e-mail for further assistance.
Will my personally identifiable information ever be passed on to a client of SSI?
Answer: SSI will handle your personally identifiable information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Questions about OpinionWorld
How do I become a member?
Answer: It's very easy. Simply fill in your details on our sign-up page. We'll send you a link to the application form so you are able to confirm your membership.
If you are 14 or younger, ask your parent or guardian to apply on your behalf and become a member and you can take part in the surveys via them.
Will it cost me anything if I join OpinionWorld?
Answer: There are no costs associated with joining the panel and you can leave at any time. You do however, need an email address to receive invitations to participate in surveys and you need to be able to access the Internet to complete online surveys.
Can I join OpinionWorld if I live outside the UK?
Answer: No, unfortunately membership of this online panel is open only to UK residents.
Can other members of my household also become OpinionWorld members?
Answer: We always welcome new panel members! Your family and friends may simply visit our website and register. Please note that each panel member will require a different email address as our quality controls prevent multiple panel members from registering under one e-mail address. All registrations are also subject to our vigorous data quality controls.
How can my family and friends join OpinionWorld?
Answer: In order to join they can go to the OpinionWorld website and click on the 'Join Now' link on the left hand side of the page.
Can I have more than one OpinionWorld account?
Answer: Membership is restricted to one account per person - only one person per e-mail address. Only one member of the household can register using one e-mail address, each additional household member who registers will require a different email address.
What should I do if I want to change my e-mail address?
Answer: To change your email address, log into the member's login area of your OpinionWorld 'My Account' and click on My Profile. Then go to the second item 'Change E-mail Address' located in the table 'Profile Questionnaires' and say 'yes' when asked if you would like to change your e-mail address.
What should I do if I need to update my personal data?
Answer: To change your personal data simply log into the OpinionWorld website. When in the 'My Account' section you need to click on the 'My Profile' link on the left hand side. You can then select the relevant link under the 'Subject' column and change your personal data.
Please note we do advise that you keep your profile as up to date as possible so we can make sure you are invited to the appropriate surveys.
What should I do if I have forgotten my login information?
Answer: You will find your login code and password combination in each survey invitation. You can also apply again with the e-mail address with which you previously joined to be part of OpinionWorld. As a result, you will receive an e-mail with your login information within a few minutes.
How do I cancel my OpinionWorld membership?
Answer: If you wish to unsubscribe you can log into your 'My Account' & click 'unsubscribe'. It could take up to a couple of days to remove your details, during which time you may be invited to take part in a survey - in this case please just ignore the invitation.
Please note that when you unsubscribe all your existing points will be forfeited, therefore you must redeem your points before unsubscribing. Points are not transferable between accounts.
How do I access the Members Area?
Answer: To access the Members Area, log in to your account by entering your login code and password in the member login area. This will take you to the ‘My Account’ section where you can update your details under ‘My Profile’, view your surveys under your ‘Survey History’ and check your points balance and redeem your available points under ‘Claim your reward’.
If I leave the country, do I need to notify you?
Answer: If you move permanently, please cancel your membership by logging onto the Members Area and click on the link ‘Unsubscribe’ within the 'My Account' section. Note that you should redeem all your outstanding points first, as points are terminated once you cancel your account. We do not ask to be notified if you are going on holidays.
Questions about Surveys
Why are surveys conducted?
Answer: Businesses, governments, public bodies and similar organisations are interested in the views and attitudes of the people who use their products and services. The more they know about what customers and potential customers, citizens and consumers think, the easier it is for them to improve and adapt what they supply.
What happens after I join?
Answer: We will send you an e-mail welcoming you to OpinionWorld. After that, we'll contact you periodically by e-mail to invite you to take part in a survey. The e-mail will contain all the information you need to participate, including the URL to take the survey. Once you complete the survey you'll have the opportunity to earn e-points, and also be entered into our quarterly prize draw.
How often am I going to be asked to complete surveys?
Answer: We are regularly sending out survey invitations, but cannot say who or when any member will receive invitations as each of our surveys is customised and based around the research goals for each individual client. Depending on your profile we may ask you to complete surveys more or less often than once per month. For this reason we ask you to keep your profile as up to date as possible.
Please note some firewalls may prevent delivery of our survey invitations (refer to: "I do not seem to be receiving many survey invitations, why is this?)" FAQ question.
Will I be penalised if I do not complete a survey I am invited to participate in?
Answer: You won't be penalised if you do not complete a survey. You can complete as many or as few of the surveys you are invited to participate in. Your points grow the more surveys you complete.
How will I know that I am to complete a survey?
Answer: We will send you an e-mail invitation when a new survey is available for you. From that invitation you will be able to access and complete the survey.
Please note some firewalls may prevent delivery of our survey invitations (refer to "I do not seem to be receiving many survey invitations, why is this?)" FAQ question
I do not seem to be receiving many survey invitations, why is this?
Answer: There are a couple of different reasons why this may be the case - firstly you could log in to the OpinionWorld website, go to 'My Details' and make sure that your email address is listed correctly (including punctuation where appropriate). If it is not, then you will not receive the invitations we are sending (Note: some firewalls may also prevent delivery of email invitations). Also each of our surveys is customised and sent to a random selection of members most likely to qualify. If you elected not to answer some of the questions in your profile, this may reduce the number of surveys you are invited to participate in. In order to be available for as many surveys as possible, we advise you to keep your profile as up to date as possible.
What does this 'do not qualify' message mean?
Answer: In some research projects we can only accept responses from people who fit into specific categories - for example selection can be gender, income or age dependent. This is based on our research goals and as an unfortunate consequence, not everyone can take part in every survey. When this happens you are entered into the prize draw as a 'Thank you' for attempting to participate. (For details on the prize draw, refer to the Survey Sampling International Prize Draw Official Rules .
I clicked on the Start button and was told I had already completed the survey, why is this?
Answer: If you see this message when trying to access the survey it is most likely that you have already completed the survey. This can either be by the original email invite or the email invite reminder. You can review the status of the surveys you have been invited and participated in by logging into the OpinionWorld website, and visiting the ‘Survey History’ page under the ‘My Account’ section.
I clicked the Start button and nothing happened, why is this?
Answer: Most of our survey windows open using Pop-ups. It is possible that the survey opened in the background - please check all the browser windows you have open to see if the survey loaded in one of them. However, if you have pop-up blocking software installed on your PC it may interfere with the proper functioning of the OpinionWorld website. If the website does not respond after clicking the 'Start' button, enter the user settings for your blocking software and add the OpinionWorld website to the list of sites which you will accept pop-up browser windows from.
The link to the survey does not work. What should I do?
Answer: 1. In most e-mail programs a piece of text automatically becomes a link if it starts with 'http'. So if you are online & click on the link, you should go straight to the survey. If you are not online, that won't happen. If you are online but the link doesn't take you to the questionnaire, try copying the link and pasting it into the address bar on your browser.
2. Many people may be trying to complete the questionnaire at the same time, which temporarily overloads the server: you will probably succeed if you just try again later.
3. It is possible that the use of JavaScript is switched off in the settings of your browser, in which case the questionnaire will not work. Check the Internet options of your browser and change it if necessary.
4. Most of our surveys are tested on Internet Explorer & if you are using a different kind of browser you may have problems. Try opening the survey in Internet Explorer.
If I am away, can I get someone else to complete my surveys for me?
Answer: Unfortunately once you have personally registered with the OpinionWorld panel only you can complete the surveys. Your family and friends are welcome to join the OpinionWorld website. Please note that each panel member will require a different email address as our quality controls prevent multiple panel members from registering under one e-mail address. All registrations are also subject to our vigorous data quality controls.
What do I do if I think my answers have not been sent successfully?
Answer: Each answer is stored as soon as you click on it. We can only use results from fully completed questionnaires, and you will know that the questionnaire is completed when you come to the final screen and see the message that you have completed the questionnaire. Once that appears, you know that your answers have been successfully sent.
I received an error message, what should I do?
Answer: If that happens, there may be a technical problem. If you get an error message while you are taking the survey, please try to log in later: in many cases you will be able to continue from where you left off. If you still experience problems you can click on the helpdesk link in your email invitation for further assistance.
How long does an average survey take to complete?
Answer: The number of questions varies from one survey to another. We try to keep surveys as short as possible, although we have to make sure the results are meaningful. In general a survey should take around 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Can you post the surveys to me, or phone me?
Answer: Unfortunately there is no other way to take part in these online surveys, you need to complete them over the Internet.
Is there any extra software I will need on my computer to do these surveys?
Answer: Some of our surveys require Macromedia Flash Player. It should only take 2-3 minutes to download here or go to http://www.macromedia.com and click on the 'download Flash Player' link. While it is not compulsory that you download Flash Player in advance, it will save you from having to do so when you attempt a survey that requires it.
Questions about Points and Rewards
Where can I view my points balance?
Answer: You need to log into the OpinionWorld website, and then navigate to the ‘Claim your Reward’ page within the ‘My Account’ section. On this page you will see your points balance, along with the details on how to claim your reward.
What happens after I redeem my points for gift vouchers/gift certificates?
Answer: You will receive an email shortly containing your reward code with a link and instructions on how to redeem it. Your code will also be listed in 'My Claim History' in your 'My Account' section, once you log in.
How do I redeem my code for gift vouchers/gift certificates?
Answer: If you are logged into your 'My Account', then all you need to do is click on the code displayed in 'My Claim History' and you will be taken to the shopping page automatically. Alternately, you can follow the instructions on your email containing the reward code.
Can I add my reward codes together?
Answer: Yes, you need to click on one of your codes in order to go to the shopping page, then you need to paste (or enter) your second code into the ‘Add voucher’ field and click on ‘Go’ button. This will combine the values of the codes. If you do not spend the full value on your rewards codes when combined, the remaining balance will be shown on screen.
When will I receive my gift vouchers/gift certificates?
Answer: Orders for physical vouchers are dispatched within 10 working days. E-vouchers will be emailed to you on the email address you have provided us within 2 working days. Please make sure that you check your spam filter and your safe list.
If you have not received your vouchers within the time frames outlined above please let us know by completing the contact form below.
I was trying to redeem my reward code, and after few attempts I got logged off and it will not let me try again?
Answer: First please make sure that the code you are entering is correct. It does not matter if you use capital letters or lowercase. The best way to copy your code into the redemption box is by using ctrl+c to copy and ctrl+v to paste. After 3 failed attempts the system will not let you try any more until you close your browser and open a new browser session. This is a security feature.
Can I view my order history and order Status?
Answer: Yes, just click on your code displayed in your 'My Account' and you can view your order history / status or follow the link from your email containing the code.
There are 3 possible order statuses:
- New: your order has just been placed and it will be processed shortly
- Awaiting Dispatch: your order has been processed and is awaiting to be dispatched
- Dispatched: your order has been dispatched and it is on its way to you
Does my code expire?
Answer: Yes, each code has 12 months validity from date of issue.
You can check the expiry date of your code by clicking on it in your 'My Account' section or following the link from your email.
Do I have to spend the full value of the reward code in one go?
Answer: No, you do not need to spend the full value; you can spend a portion of it now and redeem the rest another time.
Can I spend my reward code on more than one retailer?
Answer: Yes, you can pick and mix from the different brands of gift vouchers/gift certificates we have selected for you.
If I change my mind, can I cancel the order?
Answer: No, once you have placed your order you cannot change your mind. Therefore, please kindly ensure that you double check all relevant details before placing your order.
Who do I contact if I have a query regarding my gift vouchers/gift certificates and it has not been answered by the FAQs above?
Answer: If you did not find the answer to your question in our section on rewards, please click on the link at the bottom of this page, submit your query through our contact form and our Helpdesk will assist you.
How am I eligible to get a prize draw entry?
Answer: Panel members are entered into the prize draw once they sign-up for the panel. Panel members also receive an entry every time they complete a survey, receive a screened out notice, receive a quota full message regarding a survey, or update their profile upon request.
What are the prizes in the prize draw?
How many prizes could I win?
Answer: According to the Prize Draw Official Rules, you can win one (1) prize per entry period. Prizes are limited to one (1) prize per person per entry period. For more details on the Prize Draw, please review the Prize Draw Official Rules.
How will I know if I am the sweepstakes winner?
Answer: The drawing will be held according to the schedule and rules set forth in the Prize Draw Official Rules. The winner will be notified either by email, telephone, or registered mail after the date of the random drawing.
Where is the winner announced?
Answer: The prize draw winner's name will be published in the News section of the website.
How old do I have to be to participate?
Answer: Eligibility for the Prize Draw is limited to those individuals satisfying the eligibility requirements set forth in the Prize Draw Official Rules.
Will my points expire?
Answer: Your points do not expire. Your points balance will only decrease after you redeemed your points for a reward. However, if you choose to leave the OpinionWorld panel, your points will be deleted along with your account. It is recommended that you redeem all remaining points before unsubscribing from the panel. (Go to the 'My Account' page on the 'Members' area to see all your points transactions.)
How can I see the total amount of points I have been rewarded?
Answer: Use your login details to enter your “My Account”. Under the Claim Rewards section you will be able to see the number of points you have collected.
To redeem your points please follow the simple steps as described on our website: Redeem Your Points