Quota Balancing adjusts your sample proportions to match U.S. Census Bureau estimates for the demographic traits you select. When you enable Quota Balancing on the Target Market page, the system automatically achieves census percentages for each trait you select—no manual adjustments needed.

In This Article

• Overview
• Using Quota Balancing for US Surveys
• US Census Age-Band Presets
• Using Quota Balancing for International Surveys
• Important Considerations

Overview

When Quota Balancing is selected for US-based surveys, you can balance respondents by two to six traits according to US census data. The number of traits you can balance by depends on your sample size. For international surveys, Quota Balancing by census is available only by Age and Gender.

💡 Tip: If you want to control the proportion of responses from each demographic group manually instead, use Quota Groups instead.

Using Quota Balancing for US Surveys

Balance your survey by the 2024 US Census at the total level in non-nested quota groups on up to six demographics: Gender, Age range, Household income, Region, Race, or Hispanic Origin. The system will attempt to achieve the census percentages for each trait individually within an acceptable tolerance.

Turning It On

1. On the Target Market page, find Demographic Quotas.
2. In the dropdown, switch from Quota Groups to Quota Balancing. Check the boxes to select at least two traits to balance by.

If you've selected more traits than your sample size supports, the page will prompt you to either remove a trait or increase the sample size.

The number of traits you can balance by depends on your sample size:

⚠️ Note: Quota Balancing needs a minimum of 2 traits and 300 respondents—for balancing on one demographic only, use a preset Quota Group instead. US surveys also need a predicted incidence rate of 70% or higher to launch with Quota Balancing enabled.

💡 Tip: The standard preset balances against the 18+ US population and is self-serve. Presets for narrower age bands (18–64 and 18–65) are enabled per account by request—see US Census Age-Band Presets. 

US Census Age-Band Presets

The standard US Census preset balances against the 18+ US population and is available to every aytm client as a self-serve setting. aytm also maintains additional Census presets scoped to narrower age bands for accounts that need them.

The Standard Preset (18+)

The default US Census preset targets the 18+ US population, with an open-ended 65+ bracket at the top. There is no upper age cutoff in the preset itself.

On the Target Market page, the age selector runs from 18 up to 65+. Accounts using the extended age trait see a selector that runs up to 75+.

Age-Band Presets (18–64 and 18–65)

aytm maintains additional Census presets scoped to narrower age bands: 18–64 and 18–65. These recalculate every trait's census proportions for that age band rather than for the full 18+ population, so a study restricted to working-age respondents balances against the right denominator.

These presets are not self-serve. They are enabled on individual accounts by aytm.

How to Request an Age-Band Preset

1. Contact your Account Manager or support@aytm.com.
2. Provide your aytm account email address and the exact age band you need (18–64 or 18–65).
3. Your Account Manager coordinates with the aytm product team to enable the preset on your account.
4. Once enabled, the preset appears in the Quota Balancing mode on your Target Market page.

Other Age Ranges

There are no Census Balancing presets for arbitrary custom age ranges. If your study needs census-aligned proportions for a band aytm doesn't have a preset for, use Quota Groups with percentages set to match census data for that range. Your Account Manager can help you build the group structure and source the right proportions.

💡 Tip: When you contact your Account Manager, include the exact age range and the traits you need balanced. That determines whether an existing preset fits or whether custom census-aligned quota groups are the better route.

Using Quota Balancing for International Surveys

For surveys fielded outside the US, age and gender balancing is available based on individual country census data.

1. With any country selected on the Target Market page, click the dropdown and select Quota Balancing.

All quotas reflect country census data and are fulfilled on a best-effort basis. To adjust these quotas or balance by only one demographic, choose Quota Groups instead.

Important Considerations

• For US surveys: You may balance by 2–6 traits according to census data. The number of traits available depends on sample size.
• Minimum respondents: Quota Balancing requires a minimum of 300 respondents.
• Incidence rates: Use Quota Balancing only when your target market reflects the US Census and has an incidence rate above 70%, or for international surveys, an incidence rate above 20%.
• Survey completion: For the best results, wait until the survey completes before cleaning open-ended responses. The survey will automatically replace rejected responses.
• Exact demographic intersections: For exact balance at the intersection of demographic traits (e.g., male ages 25–34), use Quota Groups instead.
• Non-binary respondents: When using Quota Balancing for US samples, respondents who self-describe as non-binary will not be excluded—they'll enter the survey based on other balancing criteria (e.g., age, income, region, or race).
• Question-level quotas: Quota Balancing creates quotas based on demographic traits only. To set a quota for a question in your survey, contact support@aytm.com.