Latest news with #surveys
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Woolies shopper's simple trick to get $279 grocery haul for just $16: 'Cash out'
A Woolworths shopper has revealed how she got $279 worth of groceries for just $16 and it's something anyone can do. Grocery spending has hit a new high and many Aussie households are looking for ways to stretch their supermarket spend further. Bec Jane has been getting paid to do online surveys for years and recently discovered she could put her earnings directly towards saving money off her grocery shop. The 24-year-old Sunshine Coast woman told Yahoo Finance she'd noticed her grocery bill had been getting more expensive for her and her partner. 'In the cost-of-living crisis, every dollar counts. It's another way I think to get ahead and feel like you can get on top of things,' she said. RELATED Woolworths 'snob' reveals $70 a week reason why she now shops at Aldi Centrelink Age Pension warning for 4.3 million Aussies facing superannuation nightmare Rare 50 cent coin sells for $3,050 due to 'unique' reason 'I'm doing surveys at 5am when I wake up and I'm having my coffee instead of scrolling TikTok or Instagram, which we're all guilty of … And then just at night when I'm literally just scrolling on my phone and I've got the TV on." Jane primarily uses Octopus and Pure Profile to do online surveys, but said there were a bunch of different platforms available. Surveys generally take between 5 to 10 minutes and can pay between $1 to $8, depending on how long the survey takes and which platform you are using.'As your balance builds, you can then either choose to cash out directly to your bank account, which I was doing until I found out that you can actually cash out into gift cards,' Jane said. 'I was like, well, this could be a good way to do my grocery budget every week.' Jane earned $250 worth of Woolworths gift cards by just doing online surveys over the last two weeks. She is also a member of Woolworths' Every Extra program, which gives her 10 per cent off one grocery shop each month. Using her discount and gift cards, she was able to reduce a recent $279 grocery shop to just $16. How do paid online surveys work? Online surveys can be an easy way to earn a bit of extra cash. You'll usually need to input your demographic data, including your age, gender and location. You'll then be offered surveys that match your profile that you can complete for money, usually either cash through PayPal or gift cards. Pure Profile also partners with Flybuys and allows users to earn Flybuys points by completing surveys. Survey companies are usually engaged by businesses that use the data for marketing or other research. Extra cash helps dollar 'stretch' further Jane said she's found paid online surveys to be an easy side hustle. She does surveys every day and usually will complete about 50 each week across various platforms. The amount she earns can vary. For example, she earned roughly $370 in June and $292 in May. 'I've literally gotten all my friends, all my family to sign up. I've been doing them for years and it's just nice to know that you can make some extra money and it's not hard,' she told Yahoo Finance. Jane and her partner usually budget $100 to $150 per week for groceries, but will stock up on cleaning products, laundry detergent and pasta when they are on sale. Jane said she usually tracks the price of products within the Woolworths app and waits for products to go on sale. 'Toilet paper, laundry detergent, I wait until they are half price,' she said. She also opts for homebrand grocery items and buys items that can have a longer shelf life, like tomato sauce, in bulk. Jane and her partner bought a block of land last year and are currently paying both rent and mortgage repayments on the land, while they prepare to build their home. 'Rent and mortgage would take up 65 per cent of our net income. So it's massive every single week, the majority of our money is going to that,' she said. 'We've also got electricity, rates on our block of land because you still have to pay rates, and just insurances. 'So doing the surveys to, at the moment, I'm cashing out for gift cards, makes it feel like you have that tiny bit more money left in your pocket at the end of the week to actually use it on going out for a nice dinner, putting it towards a holiday, it just makes you feel like your dollar stretches that tiny bit further.'
Forbes
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
New Surveys Contain Good & Bad News About How Americans View Higher Ed
Two new surveys highlight where Americans agree and disagree about higher education. Two recent surveys about how Americans view higher education contain some unexpected good news for the nation's colleges and universities combined with reasons for continuing concerns. The surveys — one conducted by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation and the other by the progressive think tank New America — show that Americans' overall confidence in higher education has increased recently, but that Republicans and Democrats continue to hold sharply divided opinions about some key matters even as they largely agree on others. The Lumina Foundation-Gallup survey was conducted by telephone June 2-26 with a sample of 1,402 U.S. adults, including an oversampling of Black and Hispanic Americans. New America's ninth annual Varying Degrees survey about Americans' perceptions of higher education, was conducted in March, with more than 1,600 adults polled. Here are ten take-aways from the two polls, starting with the good news. This year, 42% of those surveyed by Gallup said they had 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence in higher education, a six percentage-point gain over the past two years. Similarly, those saying they had little or no confidence declined from 32% a year ago to 23% today. This gain in confidence represents the first time the Gallup survey has seen an increase in a decade, but confidence in higher education remains substantially below where it was in 2015, when a majority of Americans (57%) were confident about it. Confidence among college graduates was up six percentage points to 48% in the new Gallup poll; while for those without a four-year college degree, confidence increased by seven points to 40%. Confidence among Democrats gained five points (to 61%), and for independents and Republicans it was up six points each — to 41% and 26%, respectively. According to Gallup-Lumina, more Americans are confident today than a year ago in both four-year colleges (up 11 points, to 44%) and two-year colleges (up eight points, to 56%). However, partisan gaps are substantial on this matter; 66% of Democrats, 40% of independents and only 26% of Republicans are confident in four-year colleges. Political party gaps in confidence in two-year colleges are smaller than for four-year institutions because Republicans and independents are significantly more confident in two-year than four-year colleges, while Democrats now have similar confidence in each type of institution. Compared to last year, more people — 12%, compared to 5% — who are confident in higher education cited the innovations that flow from it as a reason. Among the Gallup-Lumina respondents, 14% agreed that 'U.S. colleges are some of the best in world,' double the percentage of a year ago, and 24% pointed to the fact that U.S. institutions provide good training, up from 19% a year ago. About three-quarters of U.S. adults agreed that higher education led to greater innovation and discovery in the Gallup-Lumina survey; 69% said it results in better jobs and career advancement; and 66% agreed that it promotes higher household incomes. More than half of these respondents also believed that higher education makes the population more knowledgeable, gives the U.S. a competitive edge over other countries, and results in greater entrepreneurship and business creation. New America's survey found similar results when it comes to the vision that Americans have for their colleges and universities. Nine in 10 Americans think that it's important for post-secondary education to train students for the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in their chosen fields and help them become informed citizens. Similar percentages endorsed the importance of colleges improving students' ability to write and communicate well and to think critically There were only small differences between Republicans and Democrats on the importance of college cultivating these abilities. Three in four Americans believe that education after high school offers a good return on investment for students, and 72% would recommend their children or close family members pursue at least some post-secondary education for a financially secure life. Republicans and Democrats showed minor differences in how they answered these two items. Now, for some of the findings that should cause concern for higher education leaders. In 2025, according to New America's survey, only about 40% of Americans think that higher education is fine as it is. Although that number has varied slightly the past few years, it did improve over last year, in line with the Gallup/Lumina findings. Still, most citizens, regardless of political party affiliation, perceive the need for higher education to make major changes in the way it operates. In addition, only about half believe colleges and universities are having a positive effect on the country. While a majority of Democrats (74%) believe that institutions are having a positive impact on the nation, only a minority of Republicans (39%) feel that way. Only about half of Americans think they can get an affordable high-quality college education, according to the New America survey. And here there is bipartisan concurrence, with 49% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans agreeing. The major reason cited for students not enrolling in college or completing their degrees was the cost of attendance, endorsed by 66% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans. Americans may agree that the cost of education is a problem, but New America found that they remain divided — as they have for some time — over who bears the larger responsibility for paying for it. About half of the public believes federal and state governments should be mainly responsible for funding post-secondary education, while 45% think students and their families should fund education. There is a big partisan gap on this question, however. Among Democrats, 71% believe the government should assume the main responsibility for college funding, while 64% of Republicans believe that students and their families should bear the bigger burden. When forced to choose who should fund higher education—government or students—the share of Americans choosing government has fallen from 67% in 2018 to 54% in 2025, a discouraging result for higher education officials seeking to build public support for larger government appropriations for their work. Nonetheless, 75% of Americans overall (91% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans) believe the federal government should spend more money to make college more affordable. According to the New America survey, more than half of Americans (57%) believe that colleges are more welcoming toward politically liberal views; a third think colleges equally welcome liberal and conservative views, and a mere 9% believe they are welcoming towards conservative views. Two-thirds of Republicans say colleges are more welcoming towards liberal views, while half of Democrats do so. Americans are also divided about whether they think that when exposing students to different ideas, colleges push their own viewpoints on students versus encouraging openness to diverse ideas. While 25% of Democrats believe colleges push their own views on students, 68% of Republicans think so. The modestly encouraging findings from the two surveys are noteworthy because they come at a time when colleges and universities have faced months of criticisms and attacks from the Trump administration. From federal cutbacks in research funding to criticisms of the curriculum, allegations of antisemitism, challenges to international students, and claims that they are indoctrinating students with 'wokeness,' institutions have faced a steady campaign of negative rhetoric and financial pressure from the administration. Although some of those critiques appear to resonate with portions of the public, the campaign may also be having something of a paradoxical effect. As Americans watch their colleges come under political attack, they may be beginning to rally to their support, discovering some common ground in recognizing the vital roles they play for individual well-being and the prosperity of the nation.
Fast Company
08-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
How to drive sustainable success
Middle-market companies play a critical role in the U.S. economy. As they are centrally situated within the supply chain, their success and influence are important factors for both the local corner store and the nearest retail giant. The middle market accounts for roughly one-third of private sector gross domestic product and employs nearly 48 million people, making it both a critical growth engine for the economy and an important force in the pursuit of a more sustainable future. Today, these companies are grappling with an unprecedented level of volatility. Policy and economic headwinds continue to shift dramatically, creating a landscape that is both unpredictable and challenging. Despite this, a sense of cautious optimism prevails among middle-market business leaders. As captured in a series of surveys recently conducted by Citizens, 83% of middle-market business leaders believe their companies are in a better financial position now than they were a year ago. This positive outlook, however, is tempered by concerns about inflation, interest rates, tariffs, supply chain disruption, and other factors that weigh heavily on decision making among executives. I'm encouraged by the resilience and cautious optimism that we at Citizens are hearing from middle-market leaders. If you're a business leader trying to make sense of it out there, here are a few things to keep top of mind as you navigate today's environment: 1. TAKE THE LONG VIEW Middle-market business leaders must maintain a long-term perspective—especially during times of volatility. Reacting impulsively can lead to strategic missteps, so focusing on initiatives that ensure longevity and growth can help withstand disruptions in the short term and seize business opportunities in the future. 2. PRIORITIZE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS Strategic investments in technology and operations are essential. Nearly 87% of business leaders plan to invest in technology this year, with a focus on AI and automation. These investments will drive efficiency and position companies for a competitive advantage, helping businesses stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market. 3. INVEST IN TALENT Attracting and retaining the right talent is paramount. With 84% of middle-market leaders prioritizing recruitment and retention, it's clear that human capital is a critical asset. Investing in employee training and development not only improves retention, but also enhances innovation and creativity within the organization, leading to short- and long-term success. Navigating this environment requires a blend of strategic foresight and adaptability. Banking partnerships can provide valuable resources, including financial incentives, advisory support, flexible financing and credit options, and access to innovative solutions. By maintaining a focus on long-term resilience, fostering continuous innovation in key sectors, and cultivating a future-ready workforce, middle market companies can position themselves for long-term growth and success in an ever-evolving economic landscape.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tally lets you design great free surveys in 60 seconds
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here. Psychologists now know exactly what makes someone cool. Turns out, the definitions are universal 3% mortgage rates aren't dead—housing market sees 127% increase in buyers taking over old loans There's a reason your Sam's Club rotisserie chicken looks different Tally is the best free tool for creating surveys. They're better-looking and more flexible than Google Forms, and they're just as easy to create in 60 seconds. Use it for any kind of survey, whether you're getting feedback from clients or students, collecting RSVPs, or gathering ideas. Get Started: Pick a template or a blank page. Add questions: multiple choice, open text, ranking, or many others. You can ask respondents to upload a file or make a payment. To enhance your design, add text blocks, images, or videos between questions. Free. 99% of the features are available without paying. I haven't upgraded because the free offering is so complete. . Based in Belgium, the company complies with Europe's strict GDPR rules. Its software respects people's privacy. Easy. No complicated menus or settings. As this 30-second video demo illustrates, you can just start typing on a blank page and press ' / ' to add a question from a list of options. For non-techies it's easier than Typeform, Survey Monkey or Qualtrics. Flexible. Works for any kind of form, quiz or survey. Tally is superb for feedback, market research, even selling something, as in these templates: Flexible design. Incorporate video, images or descriptions to create the feel of a readable page that's less bureaucratic than traditional forms. Add a cover image and logo. The forms look great, like Notion pages. They're less generically corporate than Microsoft Forms or Google Forms. Easily shareable. Email your survey, share a link to it—as I did above—or embed it within a site. Connect Tally to other tools. Check a box to easily share whatever data your form collects to Google Sheets, Notion, Slack, or Airtable. These simple integrations help you analyze responses easily. Shortcut: type ' in your browser bar to start a new form, if you're logged in. Aim for 5 to 8 questions. That's the survey sweet spot requiring just 5 to 10 minutes of a respondent's time. Learn from other good surveys. Check examples of others using Tally, a pack of survey templates for growth, and lessons from newsletter surveys cited by Dan Oshinsky's excellent Inbox Collective. Incorporate , sending people to a question based on a prior answer. I tested that in my new Wonder Tools feedback survey above. That ensures people only see questions relevant to them. Use to categorize or summarize text replies. AI can help spot patterns. That's useful when you have hundreds of responses to analyze. First make a copy of survey data, stripping out names and private info. Prompt Claude or ChatGPT for step by step analysis, not all in one shot. With Gemini AI enabled in Google Sheets, ask for AI analysis of responses saved in a sheet. Customize this template I made. Invite people to sign up. Offer programming choices. Spread questions over multiple pages for a clean look. Let anyone provide quick input. Select candidates. Find someone to help you out. 1. Pick a relevant to your project (or start with a blank page).2. Click 'Use this template.'3. Customize the questions.4. Grab the link.5. Share it via email, on social or on a site.6. Return to Tally to see people's responses. . See how many people are accessing your form, where they're coming from, what devices they're using, how long they're spending on your form and where they're dropping off if they don't complete your questions. . If you're experimenting with question wording, you can now roll back to prior versions. . Developers can now build new Tally integrations and automations. Limited visualization options. For charts or detailed visuals, you'll need a different tool. No AI summaries or adaptation. Google Forms can now summarize responses for you with AI assistance. Tally doesn't yet have that capability. New tools like Parliant and BetterFeedback can even adapt questions based on prior responses. Typeform AI helps word questions for you. No mid-range subscription. You can use most Tally features for free, but the pro price of $29/monthly is a big jump for premium features. These include customized confirmation emails, custom domains, and unlimited team collaboration. You can also accept large file uploads (over 10mb) and remove Tally branding. I'm fine with the free plan, which includes unlimited forms and question types. Tally has published its own comparisons with other tools. But here's my take on other good survey tools to consider the next time you're making a form. Free & Fast: works with your existing Google account. It's functional for registration forms or simple feedback surveys, but its features and design have stagnated over the past decade. Elegant and Professional: presents questions one by one, making it less overwhelming for survey respondents than traditional survey tools. It remains superb for multiple reasons. It's expensive, though, and the advanced features are complex. Flexible and Easy: now lets you embed surveys export data to multiple places. They're more flexible than Survey Monkey or Microsoft Forms, which have the stiff design feel of enterprise tools made for mass-market feedback. Premium for Businesses: is another premium alternative for businesses. You can customize fonts and colors, and integrate a form into your CRM or any database. Or trying make an AI agent. For DIY flexibility: works well both for forms and documents. That helps you organize survey responses within existing docs. For team : , like Coda, lets you create forms with responses that flow directly into tables. That helps you sort, filter, analyze and share results efficiently. For preference ranking: is another specialized survey tool I've used and recommend for stack rankings—assessing customer preferences. Ask people to compare a series of paired options to help set priorities. Live polling: is what I prefer for quick live polling during events. This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here. This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fast Company
04-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Tally lets you design great free surveys in 60 seconds
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here. Tally is the best free tool for creating surveys. They're better-looking and more flexible than Google Forms, and they're just as easy to create in 60 seconds. Use it for any kind of survey, whether you're getting feedback from clients or students, collecting RSVPs, or gathering ideas. Get Started: Pick a template or a blank page. Add questions: multiple choice, open text, ranking, or many others. You can ask respondents to upload a file or make a payment. To enhance your design, add text blocks, images, or videos between questions. My 7 favorite Tally features Free. 99% of the features are available without paying. I haven't upgraded because the free offering is so complete. Privacy-focused. Based in Belgium, the company complies with Europe's strict GDPR rules. Its software respects people's privacy. Easy. No complicated menus or settings. As this 30-second video demo illustrates, you can just start typing on a blank page and press ' / ' to add a question from a list of options. For non-techies it's easier than Typeform, Survey Monkey or Qualtrics. Flexible. Works for any kind of form, quiz or survey. Tally is superb for feedback, market research, even selling something, as in these templates: Flexible design. Incorporate video, images or descriptions to create the feel of a readable page that's less bureaucratic than traditional forms. Add a cover image and logo. The forms look great, like Notion pages. They're less generically corporate than Microsoft Forms or Google Forms. Easily shareable. Email your survey, share a link to it—as I did above—or embed it within a site. Connect Tally to other tools. Check a box to easily share whatever data your form collects to Google Sheets, Notion, Slack, or Airtable. These simple integrations help you analyze responses easily. Tips on creating great surveys Shortcut: type ' in your browser bar to start a new form, if you're logged in. Aim for 5 to 8 questions. That's the survey sweet spot requiring just 5 to 10 minutes of a respondent's time. Learn from other good surveys. Check examples of others using Tally, a pack of survey templates for growth, and lessons from newsletter surveys cited by Dan Oshinsky's excellent Inbox Collective. Incorporate conditional logic, sending people to a question based on a prior answer. I tested that in my new Wonder Tools feedback survey above. That ensures people only see questions relevant to them. Use AI to categorize or summarize text replies. AI can help spot patterns. That's useful when you have hundreds of responses to analyze. First make a copy of survey data, stripping out names and private info. Prompt Claude or ChatGPT for step by step analysis, not all in one shot. With Gemini AI enabled in Google Sheets, ask for AI analysis of responses saved in a sheet. Templates to try Newsletter feedback Customize this template I made. Event registration Invite people to sign up. Offer programming choices. Spread questions over multiple pages for a clean look. Simple feedback Let anyone provide quick input. Grant proposal Select candidates. Job application Find someone to help you out. 6 steps to implement your survey 1. Pick a template relevant to your project (or start with a blank page). 2. Click 'Use this template.' 3. Customize the questions. 4. Grab the link. 5. Share it via email, on social or on a site. 6. Return to Tally to see people's responses. What's new with Tally Form Insights. See how many people are accessing your form, where they're coming from, what devices they're using, how long they're spending on your form and where they're dropping off if they don't complete your questions. Version History. If you're experimenting with question wording, you can now roll back to prior versions. Public API beta. Developers can now build new Tally integrations and automations. Limitations Limited visualization options. For charts or detailed visuals, you'll need a different tool. No AI summaries or adaptation. Google Forms can now summarize responses for you with AI assistance. Tally doesn't yet have that capability. New tools like Parliant and BetterFeedback can even adapt questions based on prior responses. Typeform AI helps word questions for you. No mid-range subscription. You can use most Tally features for free, but the pro price of $29/monthly is a big jump for premium features. These include customized confirmation emails, custom domains, and unlimited team collaboration. You can also accept large file uploads (over 10mb) and remove Tally branding. I'm fine with the free plan, which includes unlimited forms and question types. Alternatives Tally has published its own comparisons with other tools. But here's my take on other good survey tools to consider the next time you're making a form. Free & Fast: Google Forms works with your existing Google account. It's functional for registration forms or simple feedback surveys, but its features and design have stagnated over the past decade. Elegant and Professional: Typeform presents questions one by one, making it less overwhelming for survey respondents than traditional survey tools. It remains superb for multiple reasons. It's expensive, though, and the advanced features are complex. Flexible and Easy: Notion Forms now lets you embed surveys export data to multiple places. They're more flexible than Survey Monkey or Microsoft Forms, which have the stiff design feel of enterprise tools made for mass-market feedback. Premium for Businesses: Jotform is another premium alternative for businesses. You can customize fonts and colors, and integrate a form into your CRM or any database. Or trying make an AI agent. For DIY flexibility: Coda works well both for forms and documents. That helps you organize survey responses within existing docs. For team productivity: Airtable, like Coda, lets you create forms with responses that flow directly into tables. That helps you sort, filter, analyze and share results efficiently. For preference ranking: OpinionX is another specialized survey tool I've used and recommend for stack rankings—assessing customer preferences. Ask people to compare a series of paired options to help set priorities.
