SurveyMonkey

Comparing Survey Results

Compare rules let you choose two or more answer options from a single question and view them side-by-side. For example, if you include a question in your survey asking people what age they are, you can create a compare rule to view the survey results for each age range. This can help you understand how different age groups responded to questions in your survey.

TIP! To compare results from multiple surveys, create a multi-survey analysis dashboard. To do more complex comparisons using answer choices from multiple questions, create a Crosstab report.

You can create a compare rule using the following closed-ended question types: Multiple Choice, Checkboxes, Star Rating, Dropdown, Matrix/Rating Scale, Image Choice, or Ranking.

If you create a compare rule using a Matrix/Rating Scale question, you won't be able to combine or hide its answer choices.

To create a compare rule:

  1. Go to the Analyze Results section of your survey.
  2. Select Rules from the toolbar, then click + Compare.
  3. Select a compare rule type.
  4. Choose the criteria you want to focus on.
  5. Click Apply. At the top of the page, you'll see the number of responses included in your rule compared to the total number of survey responses you received.

You can turn on statistical significance to automatically calculate when your results show differences that are statistically unlikely to be due to random chance.

Rule Type
Description
Question & AnswerFocus on people who answered a question with a specific answer choice.
A/B TestIf you used an A/B test in your survey, compare responses from people who saw each variable.
CollectorIf you used multiple collectors, see a side-by-side comparison of how people from different collectors responded to your survey.
Time PeriodCompare responses between date ranges.

To manage your compare rules:

  1. Select Rules from the toolbar.
  2. Click the three dots menu next to a rule to unapply, edit, rename, copy, or delete it.

A green check mark ✅ next to a rule means that the rule is active. Click the name of the rule to turn it on or off.

You can export your results with a rule applied or share your survey results with other people.

Save multiple rules together as a view to easily access different sections of your data.

Exporting to XLS: When you use a compare rule on a Checkboxes question, the XLS file will show the number of people who submitted your survey, not the number of responses.