Would You Take Your Own Survey? MFour Offers $25 if You Can Qualify — Honestly — Through a Router
Here’s a challenge from MFour to every Market Research professional: sign up as a consumer panelist, attempt to qualify, and complete a routed survey in under 30 minutes, without being dishonest. If it pays more than twenty cents, MFour will send you $25.
This isn’t a stunt. It’s a mirror held up to an industry that’s lost touch with the people behind the data.
Legacy market research firms continue to depend on sample sample routers—automated systems that bounce consumers between surveys until one finally sticks. These systems prioritize speed and cost efficiency, but the result is often a frustrating, dehumanizing experience. Screeners ask for personal information, respondents get disqualified after ten minutes of effort, and those who do qualify earn pennies on the dollar for their time.
So we’re asking: would you do this?
Sign up. Join a panel like any regular consumer. Get routed. Answer honestly. Try to qualify and complete a survey in less than 30 minutes that pays more than $0.20. If you can do it, without gaming the system – MFour will give you $25.
And if you can’t?
Then it’s time to face a hard truth: the system you’re using to collect your insights may be fundamentally broken.
At MFour, we believe the future of market research lies in validated methodologies that value both the consumer and the data they provide. That means grounding research in observed behaviors, conducting surveys close to the point of emotion, and most critically paying people fairly for their time. Respect isn’t just an ethical imperative. It’s the foundation of reliable data.
Relying on routed surveys that underpay and alienate respondents isn’t just inefficient — it’s dangerous. It fuels fraudulent activity, encourages disengagement, and undermines the credibility of the insights we deliver to our clients.
We need to shift —urgently— from outdated, quantity-driven approaches to quality-first research design. That means using tools that validate who the respondent is, where they are, and what they’re doing in real time. It means asking questions in context, not days or weeks later. And it means compensating people in a way that reflects the value of their contribution.
So take the challenge. Try qualifying and completing a routed survey without compromising your integrity.
Then ask yourself: if this is what we expect from consumers, how long until they stop participating altogether?
Better data starts with better treatment.
Let’s stop designing surveys we wouldn’t take ourselves and start building a future where quality research is powered by respect, transparency, and fair pay.
