Hi, I am Sam - Your friendly panel manager.

If you have any queries, please see the FAQ section below.
If your query is more specific, please contact me at at support@opinionpanel.co.uk and I'll be happy to help!

Samantha Williams image

Frequently Asked Questions

Joining

Earning Incentives

Taking Part

Keeping up-to-date

Moving on

About OpinionPanel

My Privacy and Rights

Technical issues

 

Joining

Who can join The Student Panel?

Anyone studying at one of the UK's 170 universities and higher education institutions can join the panel*.  You can be studying for any sort of qualification on a full- or part-time basis at undergraduate or postgraduate level.  You just need an email address that ends 'ac.uk'

(* As defined by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) )

Why can't school or FE college students join?

In future years we will consider expanding the coverage of The Student Panel but at the moment we only represent the population at the UK's 170 universities and higher education institutions.

I'm a student but we're not given 'ac.uk' email addresses

Students at nearly every higher education institution in the UK use the ac.uk email address system and we depend on it to verify your student status.  If you haven't been given one, check with your IT helpdesk – you are probably eligible. If your institution does not issue ac.uk addresses, we're sorry but you won't be able to join.

I would like to join but my institution is not listed

The Student Panel is representative of students studying at the 170 publicly funded higher education institutions in the UK. If you are studying a higher education qualification at a further education institution that offers your course in collaboration with- or as a franchisee of a publicly funded higher education institution, please select that higher education institution from the list. If you are at school, further education college or a privately funded college, your institution will NOT be in the list and we will not be able to admit you onto the panel at this time. If you feel we have omitted an institution due to an oversight please let us know - email support@opinionpanel.co.uk and we will get right back to you.

Can my friend do surveys for me?

We look for differences in responses to questionnaire by members' demographics (things like gender, age, course and personal interests). So it is important that the person who originally joined OpinionPanel is the only one to complete the questionnaires.

 

Earning Incentives

I've just joined; where's my £10?

You need to reach 25 points before you receive your voucher.  Points are credited to your account which you can view whenever you log in.

How will I receive my Amazon vouchers when I have earned £25 - worth?

In the form of an electronic certificate sent to your university (ac.uk) and alternative email address. It will contain a special code that you enter when placing your order with Amazon.co.uk. Full instructions will be provided on how to use it. If the gift certificate exceeds the cost of your order you will be given credits for future orders.

How long will it take me to earn £25 worth of Amazon vouchers?

It depends on how many questionnaires you complete so it varies a lot.  We make every effort to contact everyone fairly. Typically, youll be invited to three or four a year. But some panellists receive many more. That means a lot of panellists will need to transfer to The Graduate Panel in order to finish accumulating enough points to redeem.

What happens after I've reached £25?

After you've reached £25 and received your voucher, you can stay on the panel and keep earning points towards your next £25 voucher.

When I reach 25 points will my Amazon gift certificate be sent immediately?

After you have reached 25 points your account will go through a checking system. If all is well after your account has been checked, an Amazon gift certificate claim code worth £25 will be sent to your email address. This process can take a few days and at busy times it can take a bit longer. But if you reach 25 points and don't receive your Amazon gift certificate claim code within the following few weeks please contact us.

After redeeming my 25 do I start again at 0 or do I have to leave the panel?

Neither! After redeeming your 25 we will give you 10 in bonus points for your loyalty so you dont ever have to start from zero.

Are you going to stop inviting me to complete surveys just before I reach 25 points?

No.  We want all panellists to redeem their incentives.  It creates good word of mouth for us and a good experience for panellists.  We never exclude panellists from questionnaires on the basis of their points total.

I'm worried I'll never earn my £25

All members are eligible to join The Graduate Panel when they leave university.  You will carry across your existing points and keep adding to them as you complete more questionnaires. You will especially need to do this if you havent yet achieved 25 points on The Student Panel by the time you graduate. We will give you an extra point (equivalent to 1 in Amazon Vouchers) just for moving across to The Graduate Panel if you respond to one of our invitations during the summer. Alternatively you can move across at any time by logging in and updating your profile. If you still haven't reached £25 by the end of your time on The Graduate Panel, (five years), we'll pay you your outstanding balance in gift certificates anyway*.

(* Provided you've responded to at least 50% of surveys you've been invited to, overall.)

Do I have to join The Graduate Panel after graduating?

No, you're not obliged to join The Graduate Panel but obviously we cant invite you to questionnaires about being a student if you're no longer a student! Joining The Graduate Panel only takes a few moments, gives you the opportunity to earn a point just for transferring across (as long as you respond to our invitations in summer), and you continue to earn and redeem points. You can only redeem your points on either The Student Panel or The Graduate Panel by reaching 25 points.

What if I still have not reached 25 at the end of my time on The Graduate Panel?

If you're answering a reasonable proportion of questionnaire invitations this is very unlikely. However, in the event that you still havent reached 25 after five years on The Graduate Panel we will pay you your outstanding balance in Amazon Vouchers provided you've responded to at least 50% of the surveys you've been invited to overall.

How come some people win prizes as well as getting points?

Sometimes we offer a prize draw for a gift like a digital camera or an iPod, as well as the usual Amazon points. Its usually on projects that need a bit of an extra incentive, for example if its a particularly tricky questionnaire. Well tell you about them if they crop up, but normally we just offer Amazon points.

 

Taking Part

Why can't I find any questionnaires to complete on the website?

We invite you to complete questionnaires by email, not directly from the web site.  This is because we have to select panellists for our questionnaires very carefully to ensure representativeness.

Which email address will you use when inviting me to take a questionnaire?

We will usually send Questionnaire Alerts to both your supplied email addresses (your ac.uk address and an alternative address).  The exception is the Registration Questionnaire which we send to your ac.uk address only – to verify your student status.

Do I HAVE to take part in a survey when I am invited to do so?

No, you only complete the surveys you have the time and interest in completing. Obviously you only earn points when you participate.

On average, how long do surveys take to complete?

Typically about 10 minutes - although some may be slightly longer and some may be shorter.

Why don't I get invited to take more surveys?

We select who gets invited to each survey on the basis of meeting quotas for representativeness based on gender, year of study, university group, course, etc.  Within these requirements, selections are random, so it's difficult to predict just how often we'll invite you.  Keep your profile up-to-date to maximise your chances of being contacted.

Why did you invite me to take a questionnaire if I then get screened out?

When we invited you, we needed responses from panellists fitting your profile, based on gender, year group, etc.  By the time you came to complete the survey, that quota will have filled up.  Some groups are very small so this can occasionally happen even if you respond quickly.

How do I know what the right answers are?

There are no right or wrong answers. Just respond truthfully.

 

Keeping up-to-date

I've changed my course / university / etc

Please keep us informed of any changes by logging in and choosing 'My profile'.  This helps maximise your chances of being contacted.

I've forgotten my login details

Click here to receive a reminder of your login details.

 

Moving on

Im going to become a postgraduate student immediately after completing my undergraduate degree. What should I do?

The Student Panel is for undergraduates and postgraduates. So just log in and update your profile with your new circumstances.

I have dropped out / will drop out of university and will not graduate. What shall I do about my membership?

If you're no longer a student and you've not graduated you will need to come off The Student Panel, but well be happy to hold your account balance if you re-start your student career. Just contact us on support@opinionpanel.co.uk

I have unsubscribed, but I'm still receiving questionnaire invitations from you

When you unsubscribe from us your account is deactivated and we will no longer invite you to questionnaires. However, if you unsubscribed while there was a large project running for which you were invited to take part, your details may still sit within the sample for that project and you may be sent reminders to take part. Please just ignore these emails as they will cease once the project is complete.

 

About OpinionPanel

How does OpinionPanel make its money?

By selling 'space' on our questionnaires to clients interested in the views of students. We pass on the overall results of our surveys but we never pass on your personal details.

When will OpinionPanel expand to include groups other than students and graduates?

OpinionPanel will just be concentrating on students and graduates for the time being.

 

My Privacy and Rights

Will you send me spam or sell my name to someone who does?

No and no. All your details remain private. Your details will not be passed on to any third parties and we will not try and sell or market to you.

Why should I join?

OpinionPanel surveys are likely to be relevant, interesting, influential, will earn you Amazon vouchers, are generally quick and easy and because we send you feedback on the results will give you a benchmark to compare your opinions against.

How often will you send me surveys?

That depends on many factors. We run Omnibus surveys with around 1,000 students every fortnight and other bespoke surveys as required. Respondents tend to be selected on the basis of their demographic profile, so it's impossible to predict how frequently any one profile will be picked.  We do endeavour to contact everyone fairly.

How do I leave The Student Panel?

Just log in and select the "unsubscribe" option.  We will email you back to confirm that you've been unsubscribed.

 

Technical issues

I am having technical problems completing a survey. What should I do?

Contact us by email at support@opinionpanel.co.uk