Frequently Asked Questions

WisconSays is an online panel of adults from all over the state of Wisconsin who were scientifically selected to answer questions about their attitudes, experiences, and thoughts about important issues facing Wisconsin and the United States. In appreciation of their time and effort, WisconSays members receive points for completing surveys. These points are redeemed for electronic gift cards or cash.

WisconSays is important because answers to WisconSays questions will represent the voices of all Wisconsinites. By scientifically selecting people from across the state to participate, WisconSays will accurately represent the attitudes and experiences of Wisconsinites from every corner of the state, including those whose voices often go unheard. The questions asked on WisconSays surveys address topics and issues of importance to Wisconsin residents, researchers, policy makers, state and local government, non-profits, and other organizations across Wisconsin.

Survey questions will ask about many different topics like health, the economy, education, and other topics of importance to Wisconsinites. When you register to become a member of WisconSays, we will ask you some questions about yourself. These include questions about your age, gender, health, and your attitudes about issues facing Wisconsin and the United States. The information you provide will help us understand who is participating in WisconSays. We will also use this information to send you surveys that are best suited for you.

WisconSays surveys are conducted by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center (UWSC), a unit of the College of Letters & Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The UWSC is a highly regarded, world-class research institution. The UWSC has conducted thousands of social and health-related studies since it was founded in 1987. The UWSC serves a wide range of clients including faculty, staff, and students on the UW-Madison campus as well as researchers, policy makers, state and local government, non-profits, and other organizations across Wisconsin and the United States. We work with investigators who demand data of the highest quality. Our professional expertise is continually renewed by preparing methodological reviews of current research literature for clients, collaborating with our investigators on methodological work, making presentations of research conducted by UWSC at professional meetings, participating in professional organizations, collaborating with counterparts at other research organizations, and our ongoing internal training and professional development seminars.

Visit https://uwsc.wisc.edu/ to learn more about the UWSC.

The University of Wisconsin Survey Center is creating WisconSays so that survey questions can come from many sources. This includes researchers, policy makers, officials in state and local government, and those working for non-profits and other organizations across Wisconsin. When you are invited to participate in a survey, we will tell you who is sponsoring the questions you are being asked to answer.

Your address was scientifically selected from a list of addresses of Wisconsin residents. By participating in WisconSays you represent other people like you. It is important that we hear from you, because no one can replace you.

You should become a member of WisconSays to share your voice about issues that matter to you and your community. The information you provide will be used by researchers, policy makers, and others. Because you were scientifically selected to be a member of WisconSays, no one else can replace you. The results of the surveys simply will not be as useful without your participation.

You will be invited by email to complete short surveys online about 1 to 2 times a month. The surveys will ask about your attitudes, experiences, and thoughts about important issues facing Wisconsin and the United States. Most surveys will take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

You will earn points for completing the surveys. Points will vary depending on the length and topic of the survey. Every time you reach 5,000 points, we will send you a reward worth $5. You can choose to receive your reward as an electronic gift card or cash.

You are a member until you decide to stop – either by telling us you no longer wish to participate or by not completing the surveys we send you. If you do not reply to two consecutive surveys, we will assume you no longer wish to be a member of WisconSays, and we will deactivate your Member Account. Please note, any points you have accumulated at that time will be void.

If you no longer live in Wisconsin, you will not be able to be a member of WisconSays. We are only able to include Wisconsin residents as part of WisconSays. Thank you for your participation and we wish you the best in your new location.

Every time you complete a survey, you will earn points! Points will vary depending on the length and topic of the survey. You will be able to redeem your points for rewards like electronic gift cards or cash. Currently, we offer gift cards for a number of popular online stores.

You will earn points for completing online surveys. The number of points you earn will depend on the length and types of surveys you complete. 1,000 points is equal to $1. Every time you reach 5,000 points, we will automatically send you $5 – either as an electronic gift card or cash – whichever you prefer! Currently, we offer gift cards for a number of popular online stores.

Your first reward will be on the way as soon as you register and complete the “About You” survey!

You will be able to tell us your reward preference when you register to be a part of WisconSays. You can change your reward preference at any time by logging into your Member Account (https://study.uwsc.wisc.edu/wisconsays/member).

You can see the number of points you have earned by logging into your Member Account (https://study.uwsc.wisc.edu/wisconsays/member). Your Member Account provides valuable information about the number of surveys you have taken, the number of point you have earned and redeemed, and your current balance.

Every time you earn 5,000 points, we will automatically send you a $5 reward!

You can change your email or mailing address at any time by logging into your Member Account (https://study.uwsc.wisc.edu/wisconsays/member).

Please email or call us if you forget your password. You can email us at wisconsays@uwsc.wisc.edu or call us toll-free at 1-800-291-8624.

Your participation in WisconSays is voluntary and confidential. Your answers will be combined with those from other people across the state so that it is not possible to identify any individual person’s answers. Your answers will never be shared in a way that reveals your identity. We will never share any of your personally identifying information with others.

• As a member of WisconSays we will ask you questions about your attitudes, your behaviors and experiences, and your social and demographic characteristics.
• When you register to be a part of WisconSays, we ask for your name to address you properly and for your email to send you invitations to our surveys. If you do not wish to share your name, you can still be a member of WisconSays.
• After you register, we will ask you to complete an “About You” questionnaire. This questionnaire includes questions about your attitudes about things like important issues facing Wisconsin and the United States, questions about some activities you may have done, and questions about your health and financial situation.
• The “About You” questionnaire also includes questions about your social and demographic characteristics, including your age, gender, race, education, and marital and employment status. We collect this information because it provides valuable information about how people like you think, act, and feel. However, we will never share information you provide in a way that would allow you to be personally identified.

• WisconSays is conducted by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center (UWSC). The UWSC has been in operation since 1987, and we have a long history of protecting the confidentiality of our research participants.
• We store all survey data securely according to University of Wisconsin-Madison campus policy and remove names and other identifying information from any reporting or sharing with other researchers or entities.
• After you complete surveys, your responses will be carefully de-identified (all personally identifying information will be removed). Your answers may be linked with publicly available information, such as health-related, population-based, or other socioeconomic information about the area you live in and may be included in a public use data set for future research.

We will never share personally identifying information such as your email with anyone. As a WisconSays member, you will only receive messages from the University of Wisconsin Survey Center.

• If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach us by filling out a form on our “Get in Touch” page (https://wisconsays.uwsc.wisc.edu/get-in-touch/). You can also email us at wisconsays@uwsc.wisc.edu or call us toll-free at 1-800-291-8624.
• Our hours of operations are (Central Time):
  • Monday – Friday: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
  • Saturday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
  • Sunday: 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm