Survey Fatigue

[lunastargazer]

Does anyone ever get survey fatigue? I've been on one panel for almost 12 years and the other one a year. Over the last 5 years I've ixnayed a bunch of them. 

I like the gift cards, but I'm beginning to think I'm giving my time away too cheaply. Even though I'm semi-retired I find myself on the internet way too much. I know that surveys are no way to get rich, just a few gift cards that help me out once in a while. 

I'm starting to get really irritable. I don't speed through surveys but I've been x'ng out on a lot of them. Getting no DQ. OR spending 20 minutes and then getting whammed. For example one panel I'm on will pay you like 2.25 for a survey, but when you come down to it, it's only .75 cents as their currency is 3 to 1. Another survey I ixnayed would pay anywhere from 20 points (20 cents) to $1.20 if you're lucky and usually those never worked for me or I DQ right away. I think they're just teaser surveys.

Does anyone here ever go on a survey sabbatical? I don't know if I want to quit them for good. But to be honest with everyone if I have to fill one more survey for an insurance company,  credit card companies or banks, I think I'm going to pull my hair out. How many times does a large bank or CC company have to survey their clients? How many times is a survey company going to ask me my opinion on Covid-19 or Donald Trump?

What's the longest you've been away from surveys? A week, a month, a year? And if I did come back would I even want to?

Thoughts anyone....................

[episemion]

Been doing surveys for 20 years and it can get a bit tedious at times , especially when the same surveys seem to come up daily. COVID-19 ones are especially prevalent in that way. I just push on through. 

[seven]

It can definitely be tedious sometimes. I take a break for a week or two about every 3 months. It helps a lot to get away from them for a time and when you come back you are refreshed. That's me anyways. 

[Administrator]

Taking surveys for long periods of time can definitely get tedious. Here are some quick tips to combat short term fatigue: https://www.surveypolice.com/blog/combating-online-survey-taking-fatigue/ though you may wish to take a break altogether if you're feeling burned out.

[NevadaJones]

11 hours ago, episemion said:

...especially when the same surveys seem to come up daily. COVID-19 ones are especially prevalent in that way.

I swear I've gotten the exact same academic virus surveys from a dozen different universities, word for word or nearly so. I'm just thinking of the tax/grant money wasted by having these duplicate studies. Ugh!

And how many surveys about cell phone service, streaming services, cable TV, credit cards, etc. are really necessary? 

And all the ones about mayonnaise?  Okay, just kidding about that. 

Carry on! 

[lunastargazer]

Thank you everyone for your answers. I'm going to start taking breaks. Just one day or two a week. I like the gift cards and the perks, but some of these surveys can be so mind numbing.

Good article, Admin. Thank you.

[greeneyeddevils]

I've been doing surveys for over 25 years & I'm finding it lately that I'll just shut down a survey I've started when I start seeing multiple pages across the grids..I'm not doing those anymore..plus I'm starting to look at the points per survey to see if it's even worth the time to complete..I love doing Pinecone surveys here in Canada..I've been with them for over 10 years & I always get $5 per survey to complete...& they're always interesting...Toluna pisses me off the most...like 2500 points for a 35 min survey which works out to be pennies...Though right now alot of survey sites that I'm on have slowed down the number of surveys due to Covid-19...so here's hoping they get back up to speed & more variety soon

[dawn_b_adams]

I feel where you’re coming from. I find many of these surveys just so boring and mind numbing. With some surveys, I literally start nodding off and have to get up and wake myself up a little. It seems to be the same type of boring surveys - cell phones, video games, COVID-19, over and over and over. There are some where I see the same basic survey with the questions just reworded a little bit. But it’s the same survey. 

Don’t get me started on the way most of us get treated by survey companies. These survey companies are disrespectful, dishonest, arrogant, stupid, brain dead and totally out of touch. I’m being nice. There are other words I will not use on this site, but have muttered several of them out loud at home. I have nicknames for some of the companies, and I cannot mention those either. Yeah, I have been getting royally annoyed with these companies. I like the idea of taking a break. I don’t need the money. I like to get Amazon gift cards, as I love to shop on Amazon. Otherwise, I use what I get for little things and beer money.

It’s not like I expected to get rich doing this. I just wanted something to fill my time and make a little extra. But I have been aggravated, and sometimes feel like I’m wasting my time on this hobby. Yeah, it’s a hobby, but when it stops being fun, that’s when to walk away for awhile. So yeah, good to see I’m not the only one who feels this way. 

[lunastargazer]

Dawn, thank you for your comments. The ones with the tiny grids I've been x'ng out of. They hurt my eyes and I'm just sick of them. There are some companies, like Cint or Ipsos I immediately click out of. I never qualify. I'm beginning to think I'd have a better chance of seeing Bigfoot or a giant UFO than qualifying for some of these surveys.

[mnleona]

I am retired so I do them

This was cute. I had to look a second time before it clicked it was a joke.

"And all the ones about mayonnaise?  Okay, just kidding about that. "

[somelady]

I've   been on survey vacation for a month.  I only do Prolific regularly and let the others pile up, the ones with dq points I take in one day. or if a survey with big points comes along I may take it. I feel so much better not taking so many surveys. I think I'll start back in another week or two.

[trevorpee]

I do sympathise. I find it almost painful sometimes. I've dropped most of the most egregious pee-taking sites and have come to rely on just a handful, with practically all of my earnings coming from just two sites - if either of those go I'll be stumped. I will abandon a survey if I feel my head is going to explode - sadly not that uncommon an occurrence these days! That so many surveys are semi-literate, illogical or just plain incomprehensible doesn't exactly help, does it? Chin up, we all know how you're feeling.