random numerical values in dataset which don't correspond with recode values or answer options | XM Community
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hi all, 

hope you’re well. I’m trying to clean data from a questionnaire. My issue is that some responses are numbers (1 to 7) for an age question where the only single answer options are 18-24, 25-34 etc and there is no option to select “other” and type an age either. I thought they were the numerical values but the 1-7 values don’t correspond with the recode values either (which start from 11 onwards). 

When I try to identify individual responses using response ID, it seems that the answer is “3” or “4” - I’m just not sure how this is possible if respondents didn’t have the option to select it? are those responses somehow corrupted? 

just double checked “View response” for the responses that have numbers and in that question, the answer is just not selected at all. Also, all the number answers seem to appear from the first 280 responses - after which the responses are following the age ranges. 

 

Thank you for any insight/help,

Maria

Hi @marsbar39 

You might have recoded the values of the questions. Refer to the below link

https://www.qualtrics.com/support/survey-platform/survey-module/question-options/recode-values/#RecodingValuesAndChangingVariableLabels

 

 

Hi @krbhavya ,

 

thanks so much for replying! I did not set up the survey or have access to it until after it was closed, and I don’t believe the other team members have changed the recode values either. Is there any other reason why the values would be different and not corresponding with actual variable names? Or why the “view answer” doesn’t show any of the options as selected? 

 

Thanks again! 

Maria

 

Hi @marsbar39 ,

 

It could be that the survey was updated mid-way after going live.

Can you ask the survey owner to share a screenshot of the recoded values of the survey so that you can identify what each value represent. It is not necessary that the recodes start from 1-7 or 11-17. It depends on what was assigned.

If there were new options added mid-way after going live, then the new options would take new recodes(unless new options were replaced with existing)

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