Prolific focuses on academic research, which brings better data governance than commercial survey sites. However, your profile data is still shared with researchers who need participants matching specific criteria. The academic focus provides some protections but doesn't eliminate data sharing entirely.
| Data Type | Collected | Shared | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | Detailed profile | Researchers | Research access |
| Study Responses | All answers | Study researchers | Academic use |
| Screening Data | Prescreening answers | Matching only | Not sold |
| Quality Metrics | Attention scores | Researchers | Internal use |
| Device/Location | IP, device info | Fraud prevention | Not sold |
Researchers see your Prolific ID and study responses. While designed to be anonymous, repeated participation with the same researchers could enable re-identification.
Prolific collects extensive demographic data for study matching: age, education, employment, political views, health conditions, and more. This creates comprehensive profiles even before study participation.
Your attention check performance and quality scores are visible to researchers and affect study eligibility, creating a persistent performance record.
Studies typically require ethics board approval, providing oversight not present in commercial market research. Researchers must follow academic data handling standards.
Unlike commercial survey platforms, Prolific doesn't sell data to advertisers or market research firms. Data stays within academic research contexts.
As a UK-based company, Prolific operates under GDPR with corresponding data protection rights including deletion requests and data portability.
Clearer documentation of how data is used and shared compared to commercial competitors. Study-specific consent is typically required.