Demographics Drive Choice in the Survey Industry

Recently quantitative research has been a thriving industry in the United States. Neumann (2003), states that there are over 60,000 people employed in the industry. The survey industry has skyrocketed as industries vie for the market share of a society. The demographics and the buying power of a community is dictated by the population and the information gathered from that population. Research in universities, by industry, and by mass media brings out the statistics in which marketers and the government officials make decisions that affect our life and affect the standard of living in the United States.

Public policy decisions are not just arbitrarily commitments made up in some office in Washington. Surveys and their results create the direction in which public policy is formed and without those numbers the general public would be left out to dry without a voice being heard from the population. Though survey and poll taking is annoying and sometimes even repulsive, the information of these surveys creates laws, create new marketable items, and even create the access you have to new restaurants, stores, and even online merchandise. Surveys dictate what shows are aired on television and what movies you watch at a theatre. Without this information random marketing choices will be presented and there would be failing business and public policy because the presenters did not have the correct demographic information.

Most survey companies are utilizing the internet to get the opinion of the computer user. Our inbox of our email is jammed with survey offers. Some offer prizes while others will actually pay you cash to answer a few questions. The survey industry is desperate to find information that will be marketable to both industry and government. When you fill out a survey you become a representative to your race, religion, gender, buying preferences, and economic status. A two thousand person survey can be the representative population for the entire nation.