What if I launch a study with no prescreening filters applied?
Prolific's participant pool includes a wide range of participants from many different countries.
If you launch a study on Prolific without applying any prescreening filters, any of our participants will be able to access it.
We use algorithms to fairly allocate study spaces. Once distributed, studies are completed on a first-come, first-served basis. Without prescreening filters, we can't guarantee the demographics of participants who complete your study. However, this is the perfect option if you want responses as fast as possible and don't need specific demographics!
What if I want to target specific participants?
To reach participants with specific demographics, use our wide range of prescreening filters. This ensures your study is only accessible to the populations you're targeting.
If our built-in prescreening filters don't meet your needs, you can recruit a custom sample.
What if I want a more balanced or representative sample?
When setting up your study, you can use the "quota sample" option to ensure an equal distribution of participants.
For more information, see our article How do I balance my sample within demographics?
To recruit a sample that reflects the demographic distribution of a given population, use our representative sample feature, currently available for UK and US populations. For more details on how this feature works, visit our representative samples FAQ page.
What if I want more/less naive participants?
Our study distribution system works dynamically based on the number of eligible participants for your study.
If you apply many filters that reduce the number of eligible participants, we'll distribute the study to prioritize faster fill times.
To target participants with more or less study experience, use our "Number of previous submissions" screener. This allows you to set the minimum and maximum number of submissions each participant has completed on Prolific.