How To Clean Survey Data

Surveys are an essential part of research and marketing, but how do you make sure your survey data is accurate and reliable? Cleaning and analyzing survey data can be a daunting task but there are a few key steps you can take to ensure its accuracy. In this article, we will discuss how to clean survey data and make it more useful for your research or marketing needs.

Step 1: Identify Problematic or Non-Responsive Records

The first step in cleaning survey data is to identify any records that are either problematic or non-responsive. Problematic records may contain incomplete or invalid responses, while non-responsive records are those that have not been answered at all. It’s important to identify these records early on in the process as they can skew the results of your survey and lead to inaccurate conclusions.

Step 2: Remove Duplicate Responses

Duplicate responses can also skew the results of a survey and lead to inaccurate conclusions. To remove duplicate responses, you can use a tool like SurveyMonkey’s Survey Analysis feature, which allows you to easily identify and delete duplicate responses. This will ensure that you're only using unique responses in your survey data.

Step 3: Check for Inconsistencies in Responses

Once you’ve removed any duplicate or non-responsive records, you should then check for any inconsistencies in the data. Inconsistencies can occur if respondents have answered the same question differently or if their responses don’t make sense. To detect these inconsistencies, you can use a tool like SurveyMonkey’s Response Analysis feature, which can help you spot any discrepancies in the data.

Step 4: Normalize Data

Normalizing data is the process of making sure all responses are consistent and accurate. This can be done by manually checking each response to ensure it has been answered correctly and by using a tool like SurveyMonkey’s Response Analysis feature to identify any inconsistencies in the data.

Step 5: Analyze Data

Once you’ve cleaned and normalized the survey data, you should then analyze it to gain insights into your survey results. This can be done by using tools like SurveyMonkey’s Reporting feature, which allows you to easily analyze the data and generate reports.

Conclusion

Cleaning and analyzing survey data can be a daunting task but it’s an essential part of any research or marketing project. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your survey data is accurate and reliable.

References:

• SurveyMonkey Response Analysis
• SurveyMonkey Survey Analysis
• SurveyMonkey Reporting