recoded variables not exporting in certain question types | Experience Community
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recoded variables not exporting in certain question types

  • August 10, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 51 views

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Hi, I’ve created a survey with a bunch of different question types. For most of them, I managed to recode the values/statements/etc. so the data directly exports with analysable labels.

There are a few question types I struggle to achieve this with.

My first problem arises when carrying forward multiple choice answers from a previous question (for which I have set labels) as text entry options to a form field. The multiple choice answers export with my set labels in the previous question, but export as _1 to _7 for the form field (instead of, e.g., caregiver_origin_mother, I get caregiver_origin_1). I understand that regular form fields do not allow for recoding, but is there a way to achieve it in this case?

The more confusing problem is a matrix table with constant sum, for which I have recoded the choices’ export labels (y-axis) and labelled the statements/answers (x-axis). The exact same matrix table exports the labels when it’s a likert (the answers’ labels being the data points), but fails to do so as a constant sum and instead exports with _1 etc. again. 

For the screenshot below, I would get media_languages:radio_1 instead of media_languages:radio_romansh, for example. Is there a way to fix this? What does changing the x-labels even do, then?

 

 

Thank you in advance!

4 replies

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  • QPN Level 5 ●●●●●
  • August 10, 2026

maybe this is how Qualtrics works. ​@AlonsoC can you please confirm this behavior and also forward this request to the team as a potential product udpate.


TusharDalwani
QPN Level 6 ●●●●●●

Hi, you should be able to apply recodes to every question where the answer choices are being carry forwarded. you will need to configure recodes in every questions though


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  • Author
  • August 11, 2026

maybe this is how Qualtrics works. ​@AlonsoC can you please confirm this behavior and also forward this request to the team as a potential product udpate.

I am starting to believe this is indeed just a missing feature for the form fields, however, for the matrix table shown it should work nonetheless (as I am indeed able to customise the variable names).

 

Hi, you should be able to apply recodes to every question where the answer choices are being carry forwarded. you will need to configure recodes in every questions though

I’ve tried in a test survey and it does work, as you say. The issue here is not the carrying forward but the form field itself. And in the second case, nothing is being carried forward in the first place; I can edit the labels, but the export ignores them.


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  • QPN Level 5 ●●●●●
  • August 11, 2026

@kev try raising a Qualtrics support ticket as well, it will be a great help.