Why Your Country Matters for Surveys
46sReveals a common misconception about survey site popularity vs. location, directly addressing viewer frustrations.
▶ Play Clip"The title promises a framework for finding survey sites, and the video delivers exactly that with practical, actionable advice—though it could be trimmed by a few minutes."
This video provides a framework for finding online survey sites that are actually worth your time, emphasizing that the best site depends on your country, time, and earnings expectations. The creator, Mikael, shares practical tips on evaluating sites, setting realistic expectations, and combining surveys with other side hustles when options are limited.
Survey availability is driven by advertisers targeting specific locations and budgets. Not every site serves every market, so popular sites may not have surveys in your country. Payout rates also vary by country, reflecting purchasing power.
Using a VPN to fake your location violates terms of service and can lead to account bans and confiscated earnings. It's not worth the risk; there are legitimate ways to earn without cheating.
Check if a site is available in your country. If you can join but see no surveys after a week of checking, it's not a good match. Move on to other options.
Minimum payout thresholds range from $1 to $25. Low thresholds are great for testing if a site pays. Also check payout methods (PayPal, gift cards, crypto, bank transfer) early to avoid wasting time.
Qualifying for 3-4 out of 10 surveys is normal. Don't get frustrated; it's common on all sites. In smaller markets, there are fewer matching surveys, requiring more patience.
Join 5-7 sites if new, test a few surveys on each, and see which work best. Being active can improve your qualification rate over time.
Highest earning potential: US, Canada, UK, Australia (up to $800/month). Western Europe and some Asian countries: $200-$600/month. Other countries (e.g., India, many African nations) have fewer options and lower pay; combine with other methods.
When surveys are scarce (weekends, holidays, or in limited markets), combine with paid-to tasks, micro jobs, cashback apps, gig economy jobs, or focus groups. The creator has a list of 20+ free side hustles on his website.
Finding the best survey sites requires a personalized approach: prioritize your country's availability, check payout terms early, and set realistic expectations. When surveys are limited, diversify with other side hustles to maximize your earnings.
Why does your country matter more than the popularity of a survey site?
Survey availability is driven by advertisers targeting specific locations and budgets. Not every site serves every market, and payout rates reflect purchasing power.
01:15
What is the risk of using a VPN to fake your location on survey sites?
It violates terms of service, and sites have strong security. If detected, your account will be banned and earnings confiscated.
03:00
What is a typical disqualification rate for surveys?
Qualifying for 3-4 out of 10 surveys is normal on all survey sites.
06:45
What are the highest earning potential countries for surveys?
US, Canada, UK, and Australia, with potential earnings up to $800 per month or more with enough effort.
08:12
What should you check first when joining a new survey site?
Check the minimum payout threshold and available payout methods to avoid wasting time.
04:38
How many survey sites should a beginner start with?
Start with 5-7 sites maximum to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
07:45
What are some alternative side hustles to combine with surveys?
Paid-to tasks, micro jobs, cashback apps, gig economy jobs, and focus groups.
10:18
Country drives survey availability
Explains the core reason why popular sites may not work for you, shifting focus from brand names to market realities.
01:15VPN use is risky and against terms
Provides a clear warning against a common practice, saving viewers from potential bans and lost earnings.
03:00Check payout terms early
A practical tip that prevents wasted time and disappointment, a common pitfall for new users.
04:38Realistic earnings by country
Gives concrete numbers to set expectations, helping viewers avoid unrealistic goals.
08:12Diversify with other side hustles
Encourages a balanced approach, especially for users in countries with limited survey options.
09:50[00:00] Are you trying to find the best survey sites to earn some extra money, but keep running into sites that aren't available in your country or that just don't seem worth your time? The truth is, finding the right survey sites has less to do with which sites are most popular and more to do with knowing
[00:15] what to look for and what to avoid. In this video, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to do that. My name is Mikael and I have taken thousands of online surveys. And one of the questions I get asked most often is which survey sites work in my country or are the best for me. And honestly,
[00:32] it's a great question because the answer isn't the same for everyone. And most content out there doesn't address that. So in this video here, I want to give you a proper framework for finding the survey sites that actually make sense for your specific situation, your country, your time,
[00:46] and your realistic earnings expectations. We'll cover why your location matters more than most people realize. What to look for when evaluating any survey site, how to set honest expectations based on where you live and what to do when survey options in your country are limited. By the end,
[01:02] you to a resource that I have personally built that could save you a lot of time. So, the first thing we need to talk about is why your country matters more than the name of the
[01:15] site. Because some people are very focused on joining some of the most popular service sites, the names they see everywhere or the ones they see the ads for. But the reality is that that's not always a good idea because survey availability is driven by advertisers targeting where they people
[01:32] they want opinions from and also the budgets that survey panels have. And the reality is just that not every survey site serve every market, meaning they do not necessarily have many surveys in all countries. Usually what it comes down to is there are some companies that just need opinions from
[01:48] people in specific locations or with a specific background. So it's nothing personal. It's not discriminating or anything like that. It's basically just a business decision. If you have a business and you only have a target audience in certain countries, you of course are not willing
[02:02] to pay to get opinions from people that maybe cannot even buy your product, for example. So this is why there is a huge difference depending on where you live. There are just some countries where there are more companies with bigger budgets that are interested in doing market research. And
[02:17] one thing to also be aware of is that the payout rates, they can also vary or will vary depending on your country. Usually the payout rates reflect the purchasing power in the country. So that means in a country where there's a high purchasing power, usually you will also earn more for the
[02:32] service you take compared to some countries that has less purchasing power. And in general, if a site, even if it's a really popular site, is not available for you or does not have many surveys for you, then as you can see, there is a reason. It's basically just because it's just not a good
[02:46] match for you. So then don't chase a particular sites and obsess with that because I sometimes see that happen and then you can end up wasting a lot of time. Which brings me to the next point. So the next point I want to talk about is using VPN to take surveys because I
[03:00] see a lot of people asking about this, a lot of people doing this. I know survey sites have huge problems with this. That's why they also have a lot of security to try to prevent this because as just mentioned in some countries you just can get more survey you just get higher paid surveys
[03:12] and then a lot of people use a VPN to fake their location but it violates the terms of all service sites and they have very strong security as mentioned and when they figure it out and usually they will ban your account and they will also confiscate your earnings. I talked about this
[03:26] a lot before so I just quickly wanted to mention it here. In my opinion it's definitely not worth the risk. There are plenty of legit ways to earn without cheating and without breaking any terms and without then risking just wasting your time. So I just wanted to add that little warning here.
[03:42] So let's now talk about how to evaluate a site for your situation. First of all, when you come across a new survey site, you need to of course see is it actually available in your country. Some survey sites, they just simply say that we only available in these countries and then you
[03:57] can see right away. That's quite easy. But there are other survey sites where you can join. But then you might join and you will just see there are just no surveys or maybe there's one survey a month or something like that. And you can fairly quickly see that. Of course, if you can't join,
[04:09] you see it right away. And other than that, you can just log in and usually will be surveys right away. If there are some some survey sites have less surveys, so it can take a few days. But if you by checking in once in a while over a week, you still haven't seen any surveys or basically no
[04:22] service, then you can conclude that is not a good service site for my country. And then there's no need to obsess more about that. Just move on to other options. Another important thing to evaluate before deciding which sites are best for you is the minimum payout threshold and also the
[04:38] available payout methods. The minimum payout threshold that means how much do you need to earn to withdraw. On some survey sites it might only be $1. On some it's $5, on some $10. On a few also have even seen $25. What you prefer is of course really up to you. Of course it's great to
[04:53] have a low payout threshold. In my opinion, it's mainly great because you can just test quite quickly if everything actually works, if they pay and all those things that if it's a new service site. But other than that, as long as the payout threshold is $20, $25, definitely not higher,
[05:08] then it's just a matter of patience when you reach it depending on where you live. But still consider it. If you prefer being able to take out your earnings when you've just earned $5, for example, then of course check that as soon as you join a survey site. Usually you can jump
[05:21] into the withdrawal section. So you can see this is what you need to earn to be able to withdraw. So check that as one of the first things because I sometimes see people they spend a lot of time and then they jump and then they suddenly see like oh I have to earn another $10 and then
[05:34] they get disappointed and then they've actually wasted time. So check it first of all so you know what to expect. And that also goes for the payout options and this is especially important if PayPal for example is not available in your country or if you maybe don't like PayPal. A lot of
[05:47] service sites offer to pay via PayPal but there are many other payout options. So, if you don't like PayPal or if you can't get an account or if you live in a country where it's not available, don't worry about it. In general, what I always suggest is as it is with the payout threshold,
[06:00] the first thing when you join a site, you go in, you see what payout options it offers. Does it have gift cards you like? Does it offer crypto if that's what you want, can you get paid via bank transfer, PayPal? Can you get paid in cash? Look at the exact payout options so you know right
[06:12] away, okay, this is what it offers. Can I accept that? Is it payout options I like? If it is, then you can continue earning. If not, just stop right away. And again, I see a lot of people not looking at that until they have maybe spent a lot of time earning $10, $20, $30 and then they find out there's
[06:27] a payout method or there are no payout methods they like. And that's of course a waste of time. And as a part of evaluating is to look at the disqualification rate because when you maybe you will qualify for three to four out of 10 surveys you try. That's very normal and that's
[06:45] also important to be aware of. So if you get frustrated because you don't qualify for the first couple of surveys you take then just be aware that that is very normal on basically all survey sites. But in some countries also smaller markets especially there are fewer matching surveys.
[07:00] So then it can also take more patience. That's a part of when you are evaluating a good match for me after you tried quite a few and when you compare it to others then you can see if it's above or below the average for you. And that brings me to also that you need to take the
[07:17] time to test a new site and do not only just test one site. So what do I mean by that is that when you join a new survey site, you need to try to take a few surveys from a few different providers inside there. See how it works. Sometimes on a survey site, if you keep being active,
[07:31] you will actually also easily qualify for surveys. So you can kind of build up your reputation like that. Usually that's not something they mention, but that is what it in my experience actually is about also on some service sites. So you do need to take a little bit of time to figure out what
[07:45] works best for you and does it work for you that particular site. And again, don't just test one. I would say if you're brand new, I would start with maybe five to seven maximum because if not, it can become overwhelming. Test, find out which are the best. If all of them are great for you,
[07:58] three of them works well for you, then you can just focus on those and then move on to others. So the next point here we need to talk about is to set realistic expectations depending on
[08:12] your country when it comes to paid surveys and I will give you an overall idea here now. So if we are talking about the highest earning potential that is usually in countries like the US, Canada, UK and Australia they definitely have the highest earning potential. In some cases, maybe you
[08:29] can even earn up to $800 per month or more with enough effort from these countries just by taking but I have seen people do that from some of these countries just to give you an idea. That's not the
[08:44] it's just to give you an idea. And then if we can go to the next level, you can say that's mainly Western Europe. There are also a few countries in Asia where this is possible where you can have a
[08:58] modest but consistent side income exact amount again that's difficult that can be anywhere from maybe $200 to $600 per month with enough effort and then you have other countries that can be
[09:10] for example India or in many African countries and many other countries that I have not mentioned before there there are just fewer options and they do not pay that well. So in those countries you need to be very selective with the survey sites you need and you definitely
[09:25] need to combine it with other earning methods because in some countries paid service is just not a great side hustle and then you should not obsess about it as mentioned earlier then you need to make sure to combine it with other methods and I do have a video about great
[09:38] free ways to earn some extra money without paid service. So if you happen to be in a situation available for you then I'll leave a link in the top corner here so you can check that video out.
[09:50] So the last thing here I want to talk about is what to do if there are just not many surveys available. That related a little bit to what I just talked about before. But even in countries where you can get a lot of surveys, there are also times where there are not a lot of surveys
[10:04] available. Usually in weekends there are fewer in especially around holiday seasons there's a lot less surveys. So that's something you need to keep in mind. But no matter the situation, if there's just not a lot of service at a specific point for you or in general, then make sure to
[10:18] combine service with similar free loweffort alternatives. It can be get paid to tasks and get paid to sites where you can get paid to sign up for free trials, playing games, and more. It can be micro jobs where you can do small social media jobs. It can be cashback apps and websites. It
[10:33] can be gig economy jobs. It can be focus groups. There are a lot of different free ways to earn some extra money on the site. I do have a list on my website of free side hustles where I have more than 20 different options I mention and go into details about. So I'll leave a link to that below
[10:47] so you can check that out. And speaking of finding the best options for you when it comes to paid service as mentioned finding the right ones for your country is one of the most important things on my website. I have also manually built country specific lists for around 60 countries
[11:03] and I have spent a lot of time doing this and I keep updating them and I keep testing and I keep getting feedback from thousands of viewers from all over the world and this is based on this manually. It's not just some kind of automatic AI that updates it. It's done manually to make sure
[11:18] that it actually does make sense and they are updated and you can see if your country is here then in general you can find decent number of surveys. If your country is not on this list here, then it's because it's not a great side hustle for you. You can still find paid service but just not
[11:32] choose. But in general, also consider some of the other side hustles I just mentioned. I will leave a link to this list here below. So then you can just go pick your country and then you can see
[11:45] a list of the best surveys for your country. So I hope this helped and if you have any questions or any experiences you want to share, just please ask in the comment below. I make sure to reply to forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification bell so you won't miss out
[12:02] next time I release a video with tips and tricks about different ways to make money online.
⚡ Saved you 0h 12m reading this? Transcribe any YouTube video for free — no signup needed.