Frequently Asked Questions

Membership

Taking An Online Survey

If you have problems taking a survey, the first thing we need to know is which survey you were having problems with. If the following answers do not resolve your problem, please click on contact us or send an email to surveys@hawaiipanel.com, and be sure to include the Internet address you received in the invitation email.

 

Technical Difficulties



Membership

What is The Hawai‘i Panel?

The Hawai‘i Panel is a membership-only website for primarily Hawai‘i residents. Members are invited to participate in surveys, focus groups, or other similar kinds of research about products and services in Hawai‘i. The Hawai‘i Panel is managed by Ward Research, a market research firm that has been doing business in Hawai‘i since 1980 with companies and organizations located in the state of Hawai‘i and the US continent. Our clients want to know what you think about their products and services and how they can make them better. They also want to know your ideas on current events and social issues. To learn more about Ward Research, please visit our website at www.wardresearch.com.
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Why join the panel?

There are many benefits to being a member of our online panel. Most importantly, the surveys provide you with a forum to express your opinions and let companies and organizations know what you think about their products and services. Your answers can influence what a company or organization decides to do.

Since it would be difficult for these companies to talk with all of their customers individually, they come to The Hawai‘i Panel to obtain this important feedback. By building a large panel of primarily Hawai‘i residents, we can quickly and efficiently conduct online surveys among people like you who will be shaping the future of Hawai‘i’s products and services.

We may also ask you to participate in a focus group to discuss, in-person or virtually, how you feel and what you think.

In addition, by completing a survey, you will receive points that can be redeemed for cash, gift certificates and more. Details about points are included in survey notifications.

You can be assured that The Hawai‘i Panel conducts all research in a professional and ethical manner. We are committed to keeping our panelists' privacy.
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I don't live in Hawai‘i; can I still join the panel?

We are currently in the process of opening the panel to certain communities outside of Hawai‘i. Please click here if you are interested.
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Why should I complete the Project Selection Survey when signing up?

The contact information gathered during registration provides us with a way of contacting you, via mail or e-mail, about upcoming surveys, rewards, and panel updates.

The information from the Project Selection Survey (such as gender, ethnicity, and product usage) is used to match up members with specific survey requirements and are stored in a secure database. Your information will never be shared with outside sources. For more information, see our privacy policy.
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How can I update my email or remove my name from the panel?

Please log in to your member area and click on Account Info. There, you can update your email. If you have difficulty updating your account information, please click Contact or email help@hawaiipanel.com.

If you wish to end your membership, after logging in, please click on Contact or email help@hawaiipanel.com.
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How do I join and become a member?

To become a member of The Hawai‘i Panel, you will need to complete a brief registration form. After you complete the registration form, we will send you a confirmation email. Once you confirm your registered email address, you will soon be able to participate in surveys.
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How does The Hawai‘i Panel differ from other paid Online Survey websites?

The Hawai‘i Panel is the first paid Online Survey website dedicated primarily to Hawai‘i residents. In addition, surveys will always be about products, services, and topics that impact Hawai‘i.
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Will I receive email from anyone other than The Hawai‘i Panel for joining?

The Hawai‘i Panel will never give, rent, or sell your email address to anyone else or allow messages to be sent to you by third parties. Some surveys are hosted on websites other than our own. However, any of these partner research sites operate under the strict guidelines of the Insights Association Code of Standard and Ethics for Market Research and Data Analytics, which can be found here: https://www.insightsassociation.org/issues-policies/insights-association-code-standards-and-ethics-market-research-and-data-analytics-0
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Do I have to buy or pay for anything?

No. Membership is free and you will never have to pay any money or be asked to buy anything. Even better… we will pay you!
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Why do you need my mailing address?

At times, The Hawai‘i Panel may have some sampling or in-home product tests and we will need to send materials via postal mail.
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How do I earn points and do points expire?

Members receive points for completing surveys. A completed, qualified survey averages 10 minutes and is awarded a generous amount of points. Panel members start redeeming for rewards once they’ve reached 500 points. Points expire one year (365 days) after earned. To see when your points were earned, log in to your account and go to the Rewards page to view your list of points along with the dates they were earned and/or redeemed.
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Taking An Online Survey

Where are the surveys? I looked all through your site and still can't find one.

The Hawai‘i Panel does not post open surveys on our website. Panel members who are invited to complete a survey are sent an email that contains the web address of the survey they are invited to complete. We use the information from the registration page (such as age, gender, geographic location, type of employment, and more) to match against the criteria for each survey on a case-by-case basis.
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How can I make sure that surveys from The Hawai‘i Panel come to my Inbox instead of being blocked or sent to bulk email folders?

If your email program has a bulk mail or junk mail folder to automatically filter spam, please add surveys@hawaiipanel.com to your approved sender's list to make sure you receive our emails.
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What is a survey?

A survey contains questions about your opinions, your experiences, the types of products you use, etc. Please be completely honest and frank when answering all of the questions, as this is often the only way that companies and organizations can learn more about their customers and users. Whenever you complete a survey, you will be paid in points that can be redeemed for cash, gift certificates, and more. The amount of the points you can earn is proportionate to the length of time it would take the average person to complete the survey.
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How much time does a survey take?

Most surveys consist of 30 to 40 questions and should only take you about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Occasionally, there will be longer surveys or surveys with more complex questions. However, these surveys also pay a higher incentive for the extra time and effort required.
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For what purpose is my data used?

Data from our surveys are used by newspapers, marketers, product manufacturers, service providers and political parties to understand public opinion on products, services, advertising, policies, programs, and other topics related to life in Hawai‘i.
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Who pays for these surveys?

Our clients do not always give us permission to identify them. However, they include companies and organizations that have a major stake in Hawai‘i. Rest assured that your privacy is secure, and your responses do make a difference.
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Will the information I provide be confidential?

Yes. Your responses will be used only for statistical tabulations, such as “40% of O‘ahu families have at least one dog” or “60% of Hawai‘i residents redeem beverage containers for 5 cents at Redemption Centers.” Your individual answers will never be revealed to anyone in a manner that reveals your identity unless you give us explicit permission to do so. Please see our Privacy Policy for complete details.
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How often will I be asked to participate in an online survey?

The actual number of online surveys will vary from month to month. Typically, you will be invited to participate in 1 online survey per quarter. The length of the survey also will vary but is usually 10-15 minutes in length.
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What if I don't want to or don't have time to take a particular survey?

There may be times when you are unable or don't want to participate in a survey. We certainly understand and respect your decision. We will keep you on the panel and hopefully, will catch you on our next available survey.
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I'm having trouble accessing the survey, the link doesn't seem to work. What should I do?

Sometimes the link to a survey is long and gets broken apart in an email. First, try cutting and then pasting the entire link into your browser or address bar by doing the following:

1) Highlight the entire link
2) Press Ctrl and "C"
3) Go to your web browser and paste the link in the Web Address area by pressing Ctrl and "V"
4) Press Enter

If you are still having trouble accessing the survey, log in to your member area and click on the survey link in the list of available surveys. This will take you directly to the survey also.

If you still need assistance, please click contact us or email surveys@hawaiipanel.com.
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I did not receive a confirmation email. What should I do?

The confirmation email is automatically generated after you register. Sometimes, due to high web traffic, emails get lost. If you have not received your confirmation email within 24 hours after you registered, please email help@hawaiipanel.com and let us know that you have not received your confirmation email.
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I forgot my password. What should I do?

If you have forgotten your password, please click on Reset Password. You will be asked to enter your email address. Once you have submitted your email address, you will receive an automatic email with a link to reset your password.
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When I clicked on the emailed link to reset my password, I received the error message "Your security token is empty or invalid". What does that mean?

The password reset link has a limited validity, which means that it expires in 24 hours of the link being processed. Please make sure to click on that link and reset your password within that time. However, if the link has expired before you can reset your password, you can request another email and an updated link by clicking on Reset Password.
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