These are the most common questions about who answers a survey sent to the aytm panel, and how closely that sample matches the population you care about.
In This Article
- Is Your Panel Skewed?
- Will My Survey Be Balanced?
- Will My Survey Be Nationally Representative?
- Which Balancing Option Should I Use?
Is Your Panel Skewed?
In some respects, it is. Every panel reflects how its members are recruited, and ours has a few built-in limits:
- Internet users only—our respondents take surveys online, so we can't reach people who never use the internet, such as a farmer who has never used a computer.
- Opt-in members—panelists choose to join and are rewarded for the surveys they complete. People who sign up for research panels can differ from those who don't.
- Adults by default—the Target Market page starts at ages 18 to 75+. You can include teens aged 13–17 in most countries, but census balancing covers adults only (see below).
Device is not a limit. Respondents can take surveys on desktops and on Apple and Android phones and tablets. By default, any device is allowed. If your study needs one device type, you can require mobile or desktop on the Target Market page.
Will My Survey Be Balanced?
Only if you set quotas. If you leave the Target Market page's default quota group as it is, the survey fields organically: anyone who matches your targeting can complete it, with no demographic balancing. You'll usually get a good mix of respondents, but we can't promise any particular split.
Your screening criteria matter too. Your final sample reflects the people who pass your screener questions. For example, if your screener keeps only pet owners, your sample will match the profile of pet owners, not of all adults.
Will My Survey Be Nationally Representative?
"Nationally representative" means different things to different people, and it depends heavily on who you target. For example, if you target only males, the survey can't represent the whole country because it leaves out half the population. Decide which population you want to represent before you choose how to balance.
When your target is a country's general adult population, aytm offers two ways to match census proportions. Set either one under Demographic quotas on the Target Market page before you launch.
Quota Balancing
Quota Balancing matches each trait you choose to census data on its own. For example, it targets the census share of each age group and the census share of each gender, but not the share of each age-and-gender pair. Quotas are filled on a best-effort basis, so some goals may land slightly off.
| Country | Traits you can balance | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 to 6 of: Gender, Age, Income, Region, Race and Hispanic Origin. Based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS estimates for adults 18+. | At least 300 respondents for 2–4 traits, 600 for 5 and 800 for 6. Use it only when your incidence rate (IR) is 70% or higher. |
| Canada | 2 to 4 of: Gender, Age, Region and Income. Three presets: Total Canada (English and French), English only (outside Quebec) and French only (Quebec). | At least 300 respondents. Use it only when your IR is 70% or higher. |
| Most other countries | Age and Gender together, based on that country's census. | At least 200 respondents. Use it only when your IR is 20% or higher. |
⚠️ Note: Quota Balancing appears in the Demographic quotas dropdown only when a census preset exists for your country and targeting. It isn't offered for Worldwide surveys. Census data describes the adult population, so it doesn't apply to samples that include teens.
Census presets in Quota Groups
Choose Quota groups to balance on a single trait or to get exact proportions where traits intersect. In the US, the US Census quota presets dropdown fills in census proportions for one trait (for example, Age) or a crossed pair (for example, Age & Gender). In other countries, the same dropdown is labeled Presets. After a preset is applied, you can adjust any group's share.
Which Balancing Option Should I Use?
| Option | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Organic (default quota group, unchanged) | Anyone who matches your targeting, with no balancing | Niche or low-incidence audiences, and quick reads where the exact demographic split doesn't matter |
| Quota Balancing | Each selected trait matched to census on its own, on a best-effort basis | General-population studies with high incidence, where you want several traits to look like the census |
| Quota Groups (custom or from a preset) | Exact shares for each group you define, including trait intersections | Balancing on a single trait, exact cells such as women 18–34, or proportions other than the census |
💡 Tip: Quotas balance demographic traits only. If you need a quota on an answer to one of your own questions, contact your Account Manager or support before you launch.
Want to know more about who our respondents are? Read about our approach to panel.