> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.honesthustles.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Paid Surveys - URL: https://www.honesthustles.com/surveys/ - Published: 2026-10-23T03:51:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T03:51:48.000Z - Description: The Data Collection and Labelling industry is worth $6.3 billion in 2026 and is projected to grow to over $17.1 billion by 2030. Aside from attempting to sell your own information on the Dark Web, Market Research Surveys are one way to make money on your data, views and opinions. - Author: Daine Hoffman Companies make billions of dollars per year by collecting your information and selling it. It is truly astonishing and a little messed up just how much this industry is worth. The Data Collection and Labelling industry is worth $6.3 billion in 2026 and is projected to grow to over $17.1 billion by 2030 ([source](https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/data-collection-labeling-market?ref=honesthustles.com)). If our data is worth so much, why not capitalise on it? Aside from attempting to sell your own information on the Dark Web (please do not try this), Market Research Surveys (which I will refer to as Surveys for simplicity) are one way to make money on your data, views and opinions. Surveys generally involve answering questions about yourself and sharing your opinions and views on certain brands, topics and political or world issues. There are a huge number of survey platforms, some are regionally specific, some worldwide. This review is going to focus on Surveys as a Side Hustle, rather than testing multiple or all platforms I have chosen one I have personally used off and on for a few years, Octopus Group. This is an Australian platform and offers higher payouts compared to some other platforms. It is up to each reader to research and choose which platform or platforms they sign up for, depending on their location and availability. Some other platforms include Swagbucks, Surveyz and Pureprofile, but a quick search for “[do surveys for money](https://share.google/PaiQQ9WzvfxaIEuXm?ref=honesthustles.com)” brings up a huge list of platforms. From 10 August 2026 until 10 September 2026 I signed up for and completed as many Surveys as possible to see whether it is a valid Side Hustle or not worth the time. Speaking from previous experience I can say some months are better than others, depending on what is on offer, but I believe the data I collected is an accurate representation of a good month. At the end of this review I will have the Honest Hustles scorecard which will analyse Surveys as a potential side hustle based on a number of criteria, Accessibility including upfront cost, skill requirement and constraints, Efficiency including effort, frustrations and flexibility and Profitability, including hourly rate, reliability and growth. ### Accessibility Surveys are a good side hustle to start with in terms of Accessibility. No investment is required to start and participants do not need any skills, qualifications or knowledge. In fact most surveys seem to want to collect a large cross-section of people, from Doctors, to Tradies, to Students. This means anyone has the potential to share their opinions, even unemployed people eating Cheezels and playing Xbox, cheers Ewen Jones ([context](https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/fat-mp-claims-people-on-welfare-eat-junk-food-and-play-video-games/7kfxnncjq?ref=honesthustles.com)). Entry constraints can vary from platform to platform, but at least for Octopus Group ID verification and a phone number were required. Previously ID verification was not required so this must be a new introduction for the platform. It was an easy process but required a driver’s license, Australian or International Passports were also an option, this then needed to be confirmed with face verification. The process was quick and simple and took only about five minutes but may turn away those who are more privacy conscious. Unfortunately I have already sold my soul to the social media devil so figured I had nothing to lose. Accessibility is a strength for Surveys which earned a score of 10/15. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/73/36/73367410-8fb6-47ef-b9de-72138770bd94/content/images/2026/10/1901-1.png) ### Efficiency How much time you are willing to put in directly correlates to how much you will earn doing Surveys. If you sign up to as many as possible, as quickly as possible no matter how long or short you will earn money. Signing up for every survey I could, I spent an average of about 21 minutes per day answering questions and sharing my views. After creating an account and verifying identification I had no issues with completing Surveys and found no major technical frustrations with the platform. If you are not quick enough Surveys will be withdrawn or you will find the quotas are filled. Another potential roadblock undertaking Surveys is being screened out. This is where you may not fit the criteria for the target group and do not qualify for the Survey. Surveying and Market Research as an industry is reliant on honesty and attention of the participants. Most Surveys will have ‘attention’ questions to make sure you are actually paying attention while catching up on House of the Dragon or the 80th The Walking Dead spin-off. These might ask you a simple question or they may ask you to pick a specific answer. While I was not quick enough to sign up for every survey and had my fair share where I was screened out or the quota was full, I still managed to complete 19 surveys. I was screened out of or did not qualify for 17 surveys and found the quota was full for six. While mobile phones or tablets are fine for some Surveys I did run into quite a few that required the use of a computer. For those of us with computers and no lives this is not an issue, but it is something to consider if you do not have a desktop or laptop PC. Most Surveys were able to be started and stopped and completed in multiple sittings, though there was the odd one that needed to be finished in one go. Again I found the easiest way to smash out a few surveys while watching TV or sitting on the toilet, instead of doomscrolling. Overall Surveys are a somewhat efficient Side Hustle, with no major frustrations and only requiring low-effort time from the participant. This helped to score Surveys 7/15 for Efficiency. ### Profitability Profitability can be one of the main factors one chooses a side-hustle, whether it is buying and selling Crypto, selling pictures of feet or drop-shipping from AliExpress, we are all in this to make money. While each survey platform is different, Octopus Group offers occasional boosters to be activated. These boosters offer additional money for the successful completion of Surveys. For the month of August 2026 the bonus was for the 30-45 year old age group, according to Octopus Group this boosted earnings from 28 cents per minute to 30 cents per minute. As of writing I have yet to be offered a bonus for September, maybe the universe is telling me I am wealthy enough and do not need a boost for this month (I’m not, and I do). Boosters can help to increase profitability, however they only apply to successfully completed Surveys. Over the course of the month I spent a total of 399 minutes completing Surveys, for which I earned $96.32AUD, of that about $3.46 was bonus money from the August booster. For comparison if I had been able to complete every survey I signed up for I would have earned $152.04 and invested 552 minutes. This worked out to be about $14.63AUD per hour, though it was low intensity earning and definitely not comparable to landscaping or concreting for $15 an hour (hats off to you blue-collar workers, I enjoy air-conditioning too much). Depending on your preferred platform earnings can be cashed out in a few ways. Octopus Group offers cash outs via bank transfer and by redeeming gift cards, I have also seen Paypal money offered as an option on other sites and Crypto. Gift cards were sent instantly and cash deposits are made weekly through Octopus Group, this will again vary depending on platform. Do your research before starting and read some reviews and experiences on platforms and you should have no trouble finding a reputable service. Another note is most Survey platforms, in fact many side hustles, offer a referral system to make some extra money. This involves having a unique referral code or link which you give to a friend or family member, they then sign up with this link or code and generally you both earn some form of extra income. Shameless plug for myself, I would really appreciate it if you used my [referral link](https://my.octopusgroup.com.au/register/5eef45bc-8ab5-435a-b83d-8f4a6256dab9?ref=honesthustles.com) for Octopus Group. All of the money earned through referrals and side hustles go back into testing other side hustles. There is technically unlimited growth potential for Surveys as there are a continuous flow of Surveys to complete and if signing up to multiple platforms, unlimited earning potential. Thanks to its ability to scale based on effort and low effort time required, Surveys scored 11/15 in Profitability. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/73/36/73367410-8fb6-47ef-b9de-72138770bd94/content/images/2026/10/1943.jpg) Market Research companies probably. Original img credit: [https://unsplash.com/@silverkblack](https://unsplash.com/@silverkblack?ref=honesthustles.com) ### Side note Related to surveys are Market Research Groups, which Octopus Group also offers through its OctoQual service. Market Research Groups pay significantly more than surveys with Octopus Group advertising anywhere from $45 to $120 for an hour session. Generally these are Zoom or Teams groups or face to face sessions hosted by an employee running the session. I have participated in one of these sessions (not OctoQual) in the past and was paid somewhere in the region of $100 for a 90 minute session. There was a group of about eight participants who answered questions and provided feedback and opinions on the theme or subject of the session. These opportunities seem to be much more scarce through Octopus Group though as I signed up for the service on 12/8/2026 and am yet to be accepted into a session. Screening is done through the Octopus Group platform, as I undertook four screening surveys and was screened out of all. ### Conclusion As an introduction to Side Hustles, to fund a hustle which requires investment or to just earn a bit of beer money, it is hard to go past Surveys. They require no financial investment, relatively low effort, are semi-flexible and no prior knowledge or skills are needed. However due to relatively low earnings per hour and per survey it would take a significant time investment to replace a full-time job, and due to the fluctuating nature of what is offered and the potential to be screened out of surveys, it is not a particularly reliable main income source. Surveys, at least with the chosen platform of Octopus Group, also required ID and face verification which may turn some potential hustlers away. Given how much of our information is already in the hands of data collectors and market research groups, it makes sense to at least make some money off your own data. Surveys/Market Research participation scored a total of 28/45, however it should not be understated how easy it is to start. Having said this, Surveys will likely become relegated to a stepping stone or occasional hustle due to the higher time to earning ratio. --- ### **Score** - Accessibility 10/15 - Upfront cost 5/5 – Costs nothing to start - Skill requirements 5/5 – No knowledge required - Constraints 0/5 – ID verification required - Efficiency 7/15 - Effort 3/5 – Average of 21 minutes per day (under 30 minutes per day) - Frustrations 2/5 – No issues with setup, but being screened out of surveys or receiving quota full is frustrating - Flexibility 2/5 – Some surveys require a PC and have to be done in one sitting - Profitability 11/15 - Hourly rate 3/5 – $14.63 per hour - Reliability 3/5 – Money can be cashed out in gift cards or cash - Growth 5/5 – Unlimited opportunities and no cap (especially if signing up to multiple sites) **Total 28/45** --- ### Bonus stats for nerds Below I've included the complete set of data I collected over the month I tested Surveys. In the interest of protecting myself from any Market Research Company hitmen or lawyers, I've removed the names of the surveys. Where I failed to record data or I was granted a bonus, I've written a note. | Date | Time advertised (minutes) | Time actual (minutes) | Money advertised | Money received | Notes | | ---------- | ------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 10/08/2026 | 30 | 30 | $7.00 | $7.00 | Completed | | 10/08/2026 | 3 | 3 | | $0.10 | Quota full | | 10/08/2026 | 3 | 3 | | $0.10 | Did not qualify | | 10/08/2026 | 3 | 3 | | $0.10 | Quota full | | 10/08/2026 | 8 | 8 | $2.80 | $2.80 | Completed | | 10/08/2026 | | | | $0.16 | August bonus for completed survey | | 10/08/2026 | 30 | 4 | $8.40 | $0.10 | Webcam responses, additional $30 as thank you for webcam, $2.80 for now for completing, $30 credited in approx 2-4 weeks. Wouldn't work in Firefox on tablet had to switch to Chrome on tablet, NDA, screened out, not part of target audience | | 12/08/2026 | 8 | 8 | $2.24 | $2.24 | Completed | | 12/08/2026 | | | | $0.16 | August bonus for completed survey | | 12/08/2026 | 2 | 1 | $0.56 | $0.10 | Screen out | | 14/08/2026 | 2 | 1 | $0.56 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 14/08/2026 | 15 | 2 | $4.20 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 14/08/2026 | 12 | 3 | $3.36 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 14/08/2026 | 15 | 3 | $4.20 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 15/08/2026 | 3 | 3 | $0.84 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 15/08/2026 | 6 | 6 | $1.68 | $1.68 | Completed | | 15/08/2026 | | | | $0.12 | August bonus for completed survey | | 15/08/2026 | 25 | 2 | $7.00 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 17/08/2026 | 14 | 5 | $3.92 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 18/08/2026 | 3 | 3 | $0.84 | $0.10 | In home product test, screened out | | 18/08/2026 | 2 | 5 | $1.40 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 18/08/2026 | 13 | 13 | $3.64 | $3.64 | Completed | | 18/08/2026 | | | | $0.26 | August bonus for completed survey | | 19/08/2026 | 10 | 10 | $2.80 | $2.80 | Completed | | 19/08/2026 | | | | $0.20 | August bonus for completed survey | | 19/08/2026 | 25 | 25 | $7.00 | $7.00 | Completed | | 19/08/2026 | | | | $0.50 | August bonus for completed survey | | 20/08/2026 | 27 | 27 | $7.56 | $7.56 | Completed | | 20/08/2026 | | | | $0.54 | August bonus for completed survey | | 21/08/2026 | 16 | 16 | $4.48 | $4.48 | Completed | | 21/08/2026 | | | | $0.32 | August bonus for completed survey | | 24/08/2026 | 20 | 5 | $5.60 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 24/08/2026 | 9 | 9 | $2.52 | $2.52 | Completed | | 24/08/2026 | | | | $0.18 | August bonus for completed survey | | 25/08/2026 | 10 | 3 | $2.80 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 25/08/2026 | 8 | 8 | $2.24 | $2.24 | Completed | | 25/08/2026 | | | | $0.16 | August bonus for completed survey | | 25/08/2026 | 15 | 15 | $4.20 | $4.20 | Completed | | 25/08/2026 | | | | $0.30 | August bonus for completed survey | | 26/08/2026 | 15 | 15 | $4.20 | $4.20 | Completed | | 26/08/2026 | | | | $0.30 | August bonus for completed survey | | 28/08/2026 | 13 | 13 | $3.64 | $3.64 | Completed | | 28/08/2026 | | | | $0.26 | August bonus for completed survey | | 29/08/2026 | 80 | 80 | $22.40 | $22.40 | Completed | | 1/09/2026 | | 3 | | $0.10 | Quota full (did not record money advertised or time advertised, immediately quota full). | | 1/09/2026 | 8 | 8 | $2.24 | $2.24 | Completed | | 1/09/2026 | 13 | 3 | $3.64 | $0.10 | Quota full | | 3/09/2026 | 8 | 8 | $2.24 | $2.24 | Completed | | 3/09/2026 | 9 | 3 | $2.52 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 6/09/2026 | 15 | 15 | $4.20 | $4.20 | Completed | | 6/09/2026 | 10 | 5 | $2.80 | $0.10 | Screened out | | 6/09/2026 | 11 | 3 | $3.08 | $0.10 | Quota group full | | 8/09/2026 | 7 | 2 | $1.96 | $0.10 | Quota group full | | 8/09/2026 | 16 | 16 | $4.48 | $4.48 | Completed | | 8/09/2026 | 10 | 1 | $2.80 | $0.10 | 15 advertised mins in Survey, 10 advertised in Octopus, screened out | | Bonus total | Total advertised | Total received | Total without bonuses | | ------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------------- | --------------------- | | $3.46 | $152.04 | $97.32 | $93.86 | | | | | | | Time advertised (minutes) | Time actual (minutes) | | | | 552 | 399 | | | | | | | | | $ per minute advertised | $ per minute actual | $ per minute without bonuses | $ per hour | | $0.28 | $0.24 | $0.24 | $14.63 |