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.
8,290 people do this job in the US. $69,460 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 75%
- 25%
- 0%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 7%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct surveys and collect data, using methods such as interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, market analysis surveys, public opinion polls, literature reviews, and file reviews.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 19% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 2.1 work days | 10%Half by May 2027 | |
| Support, plan, and coordinate operations for single or multiple surveys.Done daily by most who do it. | 17% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 8%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Determine and specify details of survey projects, including sources of information, procedures to be used, and the design of survey instruments and materials.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 10% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Analyze data from surveys, old records, or case studies, using statistical software.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 1.3 work days2.5 h to 4.2 work days | 3%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Prepare and present summaries and analyses of survey data, including tables, graphs, and fact sheets that describe survey techniques and results.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Collaborate with other researchers in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of surveys.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Conduct research to gather information about survey topics.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Write proposals to win new projects.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Direct and review the work of staff members, including survey support staff and interviewers who gather survey data.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Review, classify, and record survey data in preparation for computer analysis.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Direct updates and changes in survey implementation and methods.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Produce documentation of the questionnaire development process, data collection methods, sampling designs, and decisions related to sample statistical weighting.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 1 work day3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 5%Half by Oct 2027 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).