Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code ICE

Survey Researchers

Plan, develop, or conduct surveys. May analyze and interpret the meaning of survey data, determine survey objectives, or suggest or test question wording. Includes social scientists who primarily design questionnaires or supervise survey teams.

Also called: Research Associate, Research Scientist, Survey Methodologist, Survey Researcher, Data Analyst, Market Survey Representative, Research Fellow, Research Interviewer.

O*NET 19-3022.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $69,460; Middle half earn $51,270 to $99,760. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 50% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: -5% · Decline; 8,800 jobs in 2024, projected 8,300. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Survey researchers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Conduct surveys and collect data, using methods such as interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, market analysis surveys, public opinion polls, literature reviews, and file reviews.
Prepare and present summaries and analyses of survey data, including tables, graphs, and fact sheets that describe survey techniques and results.
Consult with clients to identify survey needs and specific requirements, such as special samples.
Determine and specify details of survey projects, including sources of information, procedures to be used, and the design of survey instruments and materials.
Support, plan, and coordinate operations for single or multiple surveys.
Monitor and evaluate survey progress and performance, using sample disposition reports and response rate calculations.
Collaborate with other researchers in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of surveys.
Conduct research to gather information about survey topics.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.3 / 5
Active Listening4.3 / 5
Writing4.3 / 5
Speaking4.3 / 5
Critical Thinking4.3 / 5
Mathematics4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.6 / 5
Sociology and Anthropology3.9 / 5
Mathematics3.7 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.6 / 5
Administration and Management3.5 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.5 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic11
Investigative85
Artistic22
Social22
Enterprising34
Conventional71

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

demographer · DE Demograf/Demografin · FR démographe
market research analyst · DE Marktforschungsanalyst/Marktforschungsanalystin · FR chargé d’études de marché/chargée d’études de marché
social work researcher · DE Sozialarbeitswissenschaftler/Sozialarbeitswissenschaftlerin · FR chercheur en sciences sociales/chercheuse en sciences sociales
field survey manager · DE Erhebungsleiter/Erhebungsleiterin · FR directeur d’enquêtes terrain/directrice d’enquêtes terrain
market research interviewer · DE Interviewer im Bereich Marktforschung/Interviewerin im Bereich Marktforschung · FR agent d’enquêtes/agente d’enquêtes
survey enumerator · DE Interviewer im Bereich Umfragen/Interviewerin im Bereich Umfragen · FR agent recenseur/agente recenseuse

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Market research interviewers (7214)7,400 employed
Customer service managers (4143)106,200 employed
Customer service supervisors (7220)40,100 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.43. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-3022).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test