Pulse Opinion Research (POR) often shows up when people search for “PulseOpinion” or “Pulse Opinion surveys” because the company runs the automated polling behind Rasmussen Reports. Many rewards sites also advertise a “Pulse Opinion Router,” leading some readers to believe there’s a way to earn money by taking Pulse surveys every day.
In reality, Pulse Opinion Research is not a paid‑survey panel; it’s a polling service that allows campaigns, advocacy groups and businesses to commission quick surveys. This review looks at the company’s history, how it works, what it costs and whether you can earn money through it. To make this evaluation, I examined POR’s own materials, news stories, legal filings and third‑party analyses.
Pulse Opinion Research is a private polling firm founded in 2006. According to its About page, it provides “high‑quality research services to individuals and businesses” and has collected data for presidential campaigns and other political professionals. POR also performs the fieldwork for Rasmussen Reports surveys. The firm markets itself as a fast and affordable alternative to traditional pollsters and is open to anyone from community groups to advocacy organisations wanting to commission a poll. It operates out of New Jersey and uses methodologies licensed from Rasmussen.
Not a panel for survey takers: There is no registration form for consumer members, nor does the company advertise payments for taking surveys. Instead, POR sells polling services to clients who supply the survey questions and pay for the calls and analysis. The widespread “Pulse Opinion Router” offer advertised on rewards sites is simply a third‑party survey router that happens to use the POR name; it is not part of Pulse Opinion Research.
The company’s FAQ states that data are collected via an automated polling methodology. Unlike operator‑assisted calls, POR’s system uses a single recorded voice to deliver questions. Calls are placed to randomly selected phone numbers to ensure geographic representation; the dialing program controls question order and branching options. To reach those who have abandoned landlines, POR also conducts online surveys with participants from a demographically diverse panel. Telephone calls are typically made between 5 pm and 9 pm on weekdays, 11 am to 6 pm on Saturdays and 1 pm to 9 pm on Sundays.
After data collection, results are weighted to reflect the overall population in terms of age, race, gender, political party and other factors. Population targets for general‑adult surveys come from U.S. census data; political surveys add screening questions to identify likely voters and adjust partisan weighting based on state voting history and recent trends.
POR does not publish a public rate card on its site, but a 2011 Poynter article (quoted by a StackExchange answer) noted that customers could create their own surveys on the Pulse Opinion Research website and that the company charged about US$600 for a single‑question poll and US$1,500–$2,500 for more detailed surveys. Payment is due in advance for each polling service, and the deliverables include crosstabs and top‑line results. When clients release results under the POR name, they must include language identifying POR as an “independent public opinion research firm using automated polling methodology and procedures licensed from Rasmussen Reports”.
POR will not poll explicit or otherwise inappropriate subjects and reserves the right to decline polls in very small localities. The FAQ notes that because different demographic groups answer the phone at different rates, weighting is essential for credible results. Clients can choose from existing polling templates (likeliest voters or adults) or request custom surveys for additional cost.
Rasmussen Reports uses POR for all of its automated polling, and some critics argue that this method skews conservative. Statistician Nate Silver wrote in 2010 that automated polling methods like Rasmussen’s were more favorable to Republicans than polls with live interviewers. FiveThirtyEight assigned Rasmussen (and by extension POR) a C+ rating and excluded it from its poll‑tracking averages. Rasmussen Reports is not a member of the National Council on Public Polls or the American Association for Public Opinion Research transparency initiative.
The Poynter piece described above highlighted that POR’s do‑it‑yourself polling allowed customers to compose their own question wording and order. The affordability of POR’s automated dialing has attracted advocacy groups that wish to publicise favourable results. For example, the Vermont news site VTDigger noted that the Federation for American Immigration Reform bought POR’s automated dialing service and wrote its own questions; the article pointed out that such polls “do not have any legitimacy” unless conducted by independent, standards‑based organisations. This criticism stems from the fact that clients can craft leading or biased questions, while POR is only responsible for the dialing.
Because POR relies heavily on automated telephone calls, some individuals have complained about receiving unsolicited surveys. A Star Tribune methodology note explained that a poll commissioned by the newspaper interviewed 1,000 likely voters via automated landline calls; the poll was conducted by Pulse Opinion Research and carried a margin of error of ±3 percentage points. Automated calls to cell phones are restricted without prior consent. In 2020 a class‑action complaint (Perrong v. Pulse Opinion Research, LLC) was filed under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act alleging that POR sent pre‑recorded calls without consent; the case was later terminated. While the existence of litigation does not prove wrongdoing, it illustrates that POR’s robocalls have sparked legal scrutiny.
POR does not operate a paid‑survey panel, so ordinary consumers cannot sign up and earn rewards. The “Pulse Opinion Router” found on rewards sites like UniqueRewards or MobiousPlay is a third‑party offer that uses the Pulse name to route users to various surveys. Those offers typically pay a small amount (for example, $0.50 per completed survey) but they are run by the reward site, not by POR itself. Because this router is outside POR’s control and there is little verifiable information about payout rates or support, I do not recommend joining solely for the “Pulse” brand.
| Audience | Suitability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Political campaigns and advocacy groups | ✔️ | POR offers rapid, cost‑effective polling for campaigns that need quick insights. However, clients must craft unbiased questions to ensure credible results. |
| Market researchers and businesses | ✔️ | The company conducts consumer opinion polls and provides crosstabs and top‑line results【584882394300160†L16-L22】. It may be a cheaper alternative to traditional research firms. |
| Individual survey takers seeking extra income | ❌ | There is no registration or payment for survey participants; POR’s polls are commissioned by clients and conducted via robocalls. |
| Academic or public policy researchers | ⚠️ | POR’s automated methodology is fast but has drawn criticism for potential bias【409962583793955†L231-L240】. Researchers requiring rigorous, transparent methods may prefer firms that follow AAPOR transparency standards. |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable polls – A single‑question automated poll reportedly costs around $600, making POR accessible to small campaigns. | Not for earning money – POR is a polling service, not a paid‑survey panel. Individuals cannot sign up to take surveys. |
| Fast turnaround – Standard surveys can be launched within three business days and results delivered within another three days. | Potential bias – Automated surveys may oversample certain demographics, and POR is associated with Rasmussen polls that lean right. |
| Methodologically consistent – The company uses digital recordings, random sampling and weighting to approximate population characteristics. | Clients write the questions – Low‑cost do‑it‑yourself polls allow advocacy groups to craft leading questions. Results may be designed to support predetermined narratives. |
| Custom options – POR offers custom surveys and online panels to supplement phone interviews. | Robocall complaints – Automated calls to landlines have sparked legal actions under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. |
If you’re looking for survey sites that actually pay participants, consider these established alternatives:
These panels pay a few dollars per survey at best, but they are designed for consumers, unlike Pulse Opinion Research.
Pulse Opinion Research is a legitimate polling firm that provides automated surveys for political campaigns, advocacy groups and businesses. It has been operating since 2006 and performs fieldwork for Rasmussen Reports. The company uses automated phone calls and online panels to gather data and weights responses to reflect population demographics. Pricing is relatively affordable compared with traditional pollsters, and results are delivered quickly.
However, POR is not a paid‑survey panel, so individuals cannot earn money by taking its surveys. Because clients can write their own questions, low‑cost polls may reflect the sponsor’s agenda. Criticism of Rasmussen’s polling bias also raises questions about data quality. The company has been the target of a Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuit over robocalls, indicating some operational complaints.
Recommendation: If you’re a researcher or small campaign looking for quick, inexpensive polls, Pulse Opinion Research might be worth considering. Take care to design neutral questions, and understand the limitations of automated polling. If you’re a consumer hoping to earn extra cash by taking surveys, POR isn’t the right choice; instead, join legitimate survey panels such as Survey Junkie or Pinecone Research.
Last updated: August 7, 2025
