Recoding involves transforming the original responses into different categories or groups. Combining similar responses or converting continuous numeric data into categorical data can simplify data analysis. The recoding function enables this transformation for numeric and categorical survey questions, although range recodes can only be applied to numeric questions.
Key Points of Recoding:
Grouping Categorical Responses: You can combine various categorical responses into broader groups.
Creating Ranges for Numeric Data: Numeric responses can be converted into ranges, turning continuous data into categorical data.
Assigning New Numerical or Categorical Values: You can assign new numerical or categorical values to existing numeric data.
Reversing a Scale: Reverse the scale of responses.
Exporting and Importing Recodes: Recodes in Reports can be exported to Excel and imported from this external tool.
Not Applicable to Free-Text Responses: Recoding cannot be applied to questions where respondents provide open-ended answers or where the question lacks a predefined set of possible responses.
Examples of Recoding
This section walks you through practical examples of using data in Reports. Below are specific use cases to help you get hands-on experience.
1. Grouping Brands
2. Creating Age Ranges
3. Recoding Income Levels
4. Recoding Satisfaction Levels
5. Reversing a Scale
6. Assigning New Values to Numeric Data
7. Converting Numeric Data to Categorical Data
8. Creating New Categorical Groups from Categorical Data
Limitations of Recoding
Incomplete or Open-Ended Responses: Recoding cannot be applied if the responses are open-ended or if the question lacks a predefined set of possible answers.
Loss of Detail: When recoding, some granularity and detail may be lost as responses are grouped into broader categories.
