Whats really going on inside panels and does it matter

The document summarizes the history and current state of online market research panels. It discusses how panels initially gained popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s by offering lower costs and faster turnaround compared to traditional methods. However, by the mid-2000s, many clients found that two surveys of the same topic yielded different results, indicating a decline in data quality due to a focus on cost and speed over quality. The document then examines some of the "dirty little secrets" of online panels, such as lack of random sampling, low response rates, and panelist conditioning. It concludes that while online panels are convenient, the quality of the data may be compromised if cost is prioritized over proper methodology. Looking ahead, the