Item: YouGov
Rating: 3.8
Author: Veneta Lusk

If you’re looking to make money by taking surveys with YouGov, there are some things you need to know first.

In this YouGov review, I will give you a detailed look at the company and help answer whether it’s a scam or a legitimate way to make extra cash.

I’ll give you the information you need in order to decide if it’s worth checking out.

3.8

Overall Rating

Summary

YouGov is a legit way to earn extra cash in your spare time. It’s straightforward, awarding you points for taking polls and surveys.

Ease of use
4
Options
4
Payout
3.5
Reputation
3.5

Pros

Can earn points quickly
Many opportunities to earn
Redeem for cash or gift cards

Cons

High points payout
Takes commitment to earn

Visit YouGov

What is YouGov?

YouGov is a global online community that connects millions of people with political, cultural and commercial organizations.

It allows people to express their opinions about brands, current events, social attitudes, behaviors and more.

The site offers users the option to sign up and take polls and surveys in exchange for compensation. YouGov surveys can vary in length but most surveys cap out at 20 minutes.

This survey site takes privacy seriously and implements steps to protect users’ personal information.

At its core, YouGov is a public opinion and data company headquartered in London. It uses data and analytics to support marketing initiatives for media agencies, brands and other media-focused clients.

YouGov uses surveys and leading-edge analytics gathered from a proprietary global panel of eight million people, spanning more than 40 markets.

If you’d like to sign up for YouGov, you need to be at least 16 if you live in the United States. You can only join if your birthday falls between 1922 to 2006 and you live in one of the other countries where YouGov operates.

The survey site operates in the United Kingdom, North America, Mainland Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

The registration process on the YouGov website includes:

Selecting your country of origin
Entering your birth year, gender and ZIP code
Confirming your email
Creating a basic profile

Then you can:

Get started taking surveys and earning points
Redeem points for gift cards or cash

You need a valid email address to register for a YouGov account. Then, you’ll be required to confirm the code sent to your email address.

Once you complete the signup process, fill out your profile to start taking polls and YouGov surveys.

How YouGov Works

Once you start taking polls and surveys, you can earn points. You even get points just for signing up.

As soon as you join and complete the first survey, which is essentially a welcome survey, you will earn 500 bonus points and start building your points stash from there.

This first survey consists of basic registration information.

Most YouGov surveys are quick and take about five to seven minutes. Many have 20 to 30 brief questions, but the longest surveys should take 20 minutes to complete.

Once a specific poll is complete, it will appear on the front page of the YouGov website. Sometimes, YouGov does not publish survey results because they have been commissioned as “Confidential” by a client.

Your individual responses will be kept private and only used as part of a broader statistic, such as “45 percent of survey participants prefer pizza over tacos.”

Paid survey responses will not be linked to you or reveal any identifying information. Check out YouGov’s privacy policy for more details.

Surveys and Rewards

YouGov pre-qualifies users before sending out surveys. After you sign up, you will start receiving emails with paid surveys that match your profile.

How often you receive new survey emails and how many surveys are offered depends on your location, profile and so on.

Click on the link to a paid survey that interests you to find out how many points it pays and how long it is. Usually, longer surveys pay out more points.

Once you decide to proceed with a paid survey, you should get the points upon completion.

Your points can be redeemed for rewards, including gift cards and cash, which gets paid out through direct deposit or PayPal, depending on your country of residence.

If you decide to redeem your points for a gift card, you can choose from major brands such as Amazon, Target and Best Buy.

Point equivalencies depend on the way you choose to redeem them.

To check how many points you have accumulated, go to the Activity page of your YouGov account.

Referrals May Earn You More Points

In some countries, YouGov allows users to invite friends to join the platform and earn a reward.

If the option is available to you, you will see a link on the home page or in your profile. This is the link to you can share with others.

To earn referral rewards, your friends have to first join YouGov, and start using the site. Rewards are paid out once the person you referred meets certain criteria, such as taking a set number of paid surveys.

You can only invite friends who live in the same country as you in order to receive the referral reward.

How YouGov Pays Users

YouGov pays participants in points, which can later be redeemed for rewards.

Depending on your country of residence, you can redeem the points for gift cards, cash via a bank transfer or even products.

To redeem the points for cash, choose a payout via PayPal.

Gift card options include large brands such as Target, Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop and more. YouGov says new reward options are added frequently, based on user feedback.

Redemption rates for points will vary. For example, if you collect 55,000 points, you can exchange them for $50 in cash as a bank transfer.

How Much Time Does It Take to Make Money on YouGov?

How much you make depends on how many surveys and polls you take. Longer surveys earn more points. It also depends on how many new survey opportunities are available per week.

The longest survey is about 20 minutes, but most are much shorter. You get to decide if this side gig is worth your time.

The minimum payout for a cash transfer to your bank account is 55,000 points, which is equivalent to $50 in the U.S. Other locations may only require you to accumulate 5,000 points to cash out

If you would like to redeem your earnings for a gift card, the minimum payout threshold differs but appears to start at 25,000 points. Point equivalencies vary depending on where you live.

Is YouGov Legit?

Yes, YouGov is legit. YouGov is an established marketing research company.

The platform has more than 20 million registered panelists. It operates in the UK, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, India and Asia Pacific.

This site is a resource for companies, brands and political organizations who are looking for specific insights relevant to their industry. YouGov uses polls and surveys to gather data and offer it for marketing and research companies.

The millions who participate in surveys worldwide may give you peace of mind about the legitimacy of YouGov. It’s a legit way to earn some extra cash.

You may need to dedicate some time to build enough points to cash out, but the polls and surveys are quick and simple. It’s a side hustle you could do while watching Netflix or during breaks.

YouGov Pros and Cons

YouGov is one of many survey sites that pay you for your opinion. Compare these pros and cons with other survey sites before signing up:

Pros

Earn points quickly, starting with signup
Many opportunities to get points
Redeem rewards for cash or gift cards

Cons

Need 5,000 points to cash in a reward
It takes commitment to earn a lot of money

YouGov Reviews

See what others have to say about YouGov. Keep in mind that people tend to write reviews based on emotions and whether they are happy or unhappy about a product or a service.

Website	Rating	Number of Reviews
Apple App Store	4.6 out of 5	119
Google Play	4.4 out of 5	45.8K
Better Business Bureau	3.68 out of 5	76
Trustpilot	3.0 out of 5	3,170

Here are a few user reviews (both positive and negative) to help you decide if YouGov is a good choice for you.

“It is a really good and interesting survey website. The points threshold is high but you should get there every 6 months or so and it is worth it for the amount you get and some pay very quickly for it.” – Claire

“The surveys are always interesting with easy options. They always pay out on time once you have filled in the required amount of surveys. The only thing I see as a problem is that there could be more of them!” – Allie C.

“This site was somewhat legit. About 2 months ago they honored Amazon gift card redemptions but now they have totally become a scam. I have waited a month and have contacted customer support numerous times and have not received my 15 dollar Amazon gift card, but yet they still send surveys to me. No thanks this is a scam.” – Jeffery S.

“Don’t bother with this company – it would take you over 16 hours of non-stop filling in insane questionnaires for £50 if you haven’t died of boredom by them.”- Zach B.

YouGov Alternatives

If you would like to compare YouGov with alternative survey sites, below are a few options to get you started. This way you can figure out what is worth your time and what isn’t.

Survey Junkie

Like YouGov, Survey Junkie is another well-known market research company. It’s a popular online survey site that allows you to make extra cash on the side. In addition to surveys, you can sign up for third-party panels.

As you take surveys and take part in focus groups, you can earn points. You need to accumulate at least 500 points to redeem earnings.

Every 100 points is equal to $1, so 500 points can be redeemed for $5 in a gift card for a popular retailer or paid out for cash via PayPal. Average survey payout is $.50 – $3.00.

To date, they have paid out over $25 million dollars to over 20 million members.

Trustpilot Score: 4.2 out of 5

Learn More: Survey Junkie Review

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is another popular option for making money on the side.

Members earn points called Swagbucks for completing surveys and a variety of other tasks, such as watching videos, searching the internet, taking polls and more.

The minimum payout threshold is 1,000 Swagbucks, which is equivalent to $10. The Swagbucks you earn can be redeemed for gift cards at popular retailers such as Target and Amazon.

You also have the option to redeem your Swagbucks for cash via PayPal.

Trustpilot: 4.2 out of 5

Learn More: Swagbucks Review

InboxDollars

InboxDollars is another side hustle option that pays you to take surveys. It’s one of the most popular survey sites on the web.

This platform also gives you other ways to earn such as testing products, redeeming grocery coupons, online shopping, playing games and so on.

The minimum payout threshold for InboxDollars is higher than other sites, at $30.

You can redeem your earnings for a gift card to a retailer such as Starbucks or get paid out via PayPal.