At a market research firm, polling organization, university research center, or federal statistical program, you conduct survey interviews with respondents to collect specific data — opinions, attitudes, behaviors, demographics — that feed studies, polls, and statistical reporting.
This role lives in survey administration — the structured interview, captured to specification, contributing to a study or polling effort that requires consistent data across many respondents. Most days run on the phone, in field intercepts, or in video calls, with the interviewer working scripted instruments and maintaining the rapport that supports response rates. Completed interviews and data quality are the operating measures.
Where it gets demanding is the rising hostility toward survey work generally — robocalls, polling fatigue, and political polarization mean respondents are often immediately suspicious. Variance across employers is real: at academic survey centers the work is more rigorous; at commercial firms it runs faster; at political polling firms it spikes around elections.
This role suits people who are steady on the phone, comfortable through rejection, and disciplined about script delivery. Survey-research association credentials and interview-software training anchor advancement. The trade-off is the queue-based intensity of phone-room work, the modest pay typical of survey positions, and the project-cyclical nature of much survey-research employment.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Admin & Office roles →At a market research firm, polling organization, university research center, or federal statistical program, you conduct survey interviews with respondents to collect specific data — opinions, attitudes, behaviors, demographics — that feed studies, polls, and statistical reporting.
Median pay for a Surveys Interviewer is about $44K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $32K to $61K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, and Service Orientation.
Most people in this role hold a high school diploma.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 11.6% through 2034, with roughly 157,310 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Field Representative, Registration Clerk, and ER Clerk (Emergency Room Clerk).
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