Variable responses

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Variable responses

A response is one of the list of possible answers to a single-coded or multi-coded question.  The list of possible answers is called a "response list".  See Entry details window.

In this documentation "Response" always refers the answer to a single-coded or multi-coded question.  "Answer" is used for all other question types.

Each response has:

Response number - this is the number stored in the data file unless individual response locations are used

Response logic definition - this defines which respondents will be selected in this response

Response text - this is the text that identifies this response

The response number is used to refer to the response.

Response text (plus headers and over-headers)

The text for a response will be shown alongside the response figures in tables.

Response texts can also contain headers and over-headers.

To include a header you add the header text to the front of the first relevant response text, followed by \. For example you might use: Gender\Male.

When used as the rows a header will be shown as a separate row above the relevant responses.

When used as the columns a header will be centred above all the following columns until the next response with a header.

Headers are also used to control how the significance testing is done, see Significance formats.  Using column identifiers only columns under the same header are compared with each other.

Over-headers are the same as headers but are followed by a ^. For example you might use: South region^Gender\Male.

When used as the rows an over-header will be shown as a separate row above the relevant responses.

When used as the columns an over- header will be centred above all the following columns until the next response with a header.  Over-headers appear above the headers and each over-header include a number of headers.

Here is a complete example showing 5 response texts including headers:

Gender\Male

Female

Age\16-30

31-50

51+

Here is a complete example showing 10 response texts including over-headers and headers:

South region^Gender\Male

Female

Age\16-30

31-50

51+

North region^Gender\Male

Female

Age\16-30

31-50

51+

Reject response

One response can be marked as a reject response (R).   This will be selected if all the other responses are not selected.  It should be the last response.

Response analysis settings (including score value)

A score value is a number associated with the response that is used in mean score calculations.  For example:

Response number

Text

Score value

1

Much better

2

2

A bit better

1

3

The same

0

4

A bit worse

-1

5

A lot worse

-2

6

Don't know

 

The last response is not allocated a score value and will not be included in any mean score (average) calculations.

For other settings on variable responses see Response analysis settings tool window.