Become a Panelist FAQ

Panelists are folks who weigh-in with their perspectives about building better places to live and work. Here's how it works:

1. You sign up to become a panelist by completing the sign-up link in the upper right hand corner.
2. You receive a sincere Thank You.
3. From time to time, you receive an email invitation to flex your panelist muscle by responding to a survey or participating in an interview. The email outlines the time it will take, the topic and how you'll be rewarded for your time and brainpower.
4. You accept or decline the invitation. (Our feelings are never hurt if you say no.)
5. If you accept, you complete your response and get your reward!

For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions below.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Who determines the survey questions?

A: In most cases, Next Generation Consulting designs the surveys for their own use, or through collaboration with a partner who shares our commitment to the next generation.

For more about NGC, please visit nextgenerationconsulting.com.

In limited cases, NGC conducts a survey on behalf of a client.

Q: Will I know whether the survey is being done by NGC or one of it's clients?

A: Not until you complete the survey.

I know, this may seem a little tricky, but we do it to ensure that your responses are not influenced by who originates the survey. It's called the Hawthorne Effect: when respondents know they're being 'watched,' they may alter their responses to win the approval of the folks asking the question. This skews survey data, and makes it unreliable. We always want to know your gut feelings and true responses to questions.

Q: What kind of questions do you ask?

A: It depends. Sometimes we ask very simple, "Yes/No" questions like, "Should coffee shops be able to ban parents with naughty kids?" (Over half of respondents said YES.)

Other times, we ask more in-depth questions on a broader topic like "How the next generation gets their news" or "Politics and the next gen."

You'll always know the topic of the survey, the reward, and the expected length of time the survey will take before you opt-in.

Q: What kind of rewards are we talkin' here?

A: For short surveys like the coffee shop question above, your name is thrown into a random drawing for iPods, iPhones, and other electronic gadgets or gift certificates.

For longer surveys or interviews, we give each respondent a gift certificate to the online retailer of their choice (e.g. Amazon) in a fixed dollar amount, starting at a minimum of $50. The longer the survey, the higher your reward.

You'll always know the topic of the survey, the reward, and the expected length of time the survey will take before you opt-in.

Q: How much time will a survey take?

A: Short email surveys can be completed in less than five minutes. Longer interviews can take up to 45 minutes. You will always know how long a survey or interview usually takes before you make a commitment to participate.

Q: What happens with all the personal information I give you to become a panelist?

A: We keep your personal information under lock and key. We never share it and we won't ever sell it. We believe that keeping your information private and secure is one way we can build trust with our Panelists.  On all of our surveys we do ask for your age and invite all ages to participate.  We study generations so your honest input and perspectives are appreciated.

Next Generation Consulting (NGC) adheres to the European Union's directives on Internet privacy including “opt-in” rules, “opt-out” rules and advising you if/when we share your email address. Read more.

The reason we ask for all that information is so that we can build and cross-tab our Panelist pools. For example, sometimes we want to compare women's responses to men's responses or we want to know what students are thinking vs. full time employees.

Q: Why should I become a Panelist?

A: No one's forcing you, but we do think there are some pretty good reasons.

First, the voice of the next generation seems to be missing from public debates about things like health care, retirement, and social issues. By becoming a panelist, you join a larger group of your peers. Together, you can make your voice heard.

Second, as far as we know, there's no other forum like this in the world. So, you're a pioneer.

Finally, it doesn't really take that much time, and we reward you for participation.

Questions?

Have another question that hasn't been addressed here? Contact us.