Setting a “do not ask” condition on multiple questions This worksheet describes how to set the same condition on a complete grid, so that depending on the respondent’s choices, they do not have to complete irrelevant sections. You can use this technique on any group of questions. The example shows a travel survey. Respondents select from a choice of ways to travel to work, answer a common question on how far they live from work, and then complete a further section for each travel method they use. Because the survey involves several questions, so you can apply sensible routing Snap has supplied a survey that you can use with the worksheet. This is supplied as a bare survey for you to add routing too, and as a demonstration, showing the survey with full routing. Both surveys are supplied in Web:HTML format. Background Routing rules allow you to specify conditions for asking or omitting questions. There are three types of routing rules that can be used in a Snap questionnaire. Conditionally Ask Question Goto On Answer Goto After Question A rule can either be added at the beginning of a question, within a question code or at the end of a question. This example uses a multiple response question, where a section is asked if a response has been checked. You can set a condition if an answer has been selected in the format q4=1 (if code 1 has been checked for question 4). You can also set a condition if that answer is the only answer checked (using the format q4== 1: code 1 is the only answer checked for question 1). Summary of steps Before you start, download the base survey supplied by Snap Download base survey to use with the worksheet Download demonstration survey Download a pdf version of this worksheet Step 1: Examine the questions Step 2: Add the routing to the first grid question Step 3: Copy it to the whole grid Step 4: Add routing based on a poor rating Step 5: Omit a single question from a grid Step 6: Publish and check your survey Step 1: Examine the questions The survey used consists of several questions which gather people’s opinions on their travel to work. The respondent is asked how they get to work and how far away they live from their work. There are several sets of grid questions which must be asked depending upon the answer to the first question. The first set (q3 and q4) is for car users. The second set (q5) is for people who walk to work. The third set (q6 and q7) is for people who use public transport. The final grid question (q8) is answered by everyone who travels to work. Since you would like people’s opinions on the different modes of transport, no matter how often they use them, you will set up routing so that sections are omitted from the survey if the respondent has not selected them. Step 2: Add the routing to the first grid question Select the first line of the first grid section, (Q3.a) I choose to travel by car because…. Click to open the Routing Rules dialog for that question. Click [Add] to create a routing rule. Set the type to be Conditionally Ask Question and click [OK]. The Rule Details dialog appears. Enter q1=1 in the If field. This will cause the first question of the grid to be answered if the respondent has selected code 1 (Car) in response to question 1. Click [OK]. A small arrow is added to the start of the question to show that there is routing applied to it. You can double-click this arrow to open the Routing Rules details. Step 3: Copy it to the whole grid Select the grid question containing routing and click or press the [Alt] + [Enter] keys, to display the Variable Properties window. Select the whole of the Not Asked field, right-click and select Copy or press [Ctrl]+[C] to copy the text. Select the other questions that you wish to apply this routing to. In this case this is the Transport Survey heading for this page, and all the other questions in the grid. Click or press the [Alt] + [Enter] keys, to display the common Variable Properties. Note: If you have also selected the first part of the grid question, N4, the routing information will display (Not all the same). Select the text in the Not Asked field from step 3.2 and right-click and select Paste from the context menu, or press [Ctrl]+[V] to paste in the routing from the first grid question. The routing now applies to all the questions in the grid, N4~Q3e. The routing now applies to all the questions in the grid. Repeat with appropriate routing for the questions that are specific to the other responses. This creates a survey which only asks the questions for the modes of transport you have selected. (Set Do not ask conditions of q1=2 (walk) for the Q5 grid and heading, and q1=3 (public transport) for the Q6 and Q7 grids and headings.) Step 4: Add routing based on a poor rating The survey includes a question (Q4) which asks respondents why they do not find public transport convenient. It only makes sense to ask this question if the respondent has indicated that they do find public transport inconvenient. This means that you need to set routing on this section so it is only asked if they have selected the Strongly agree or Agree responses to the question …public transport is not convenient (Q3.b). Select question 4, and click to open the Routing Rules dialog. Click [Add] to create a routing rule. Set the type to be Conditionally Ask Question and click [OK]. The Rule Details dialog appears. Enter q3.b=(1,2) in the If field. This will cause question 4 to be answered if the respondent has selected code 1 (Strongly agree) or code 2 (Agree) in response to question 3.b. Click or press the [Alt] + [Enter] keys, to display the Variable Properties window. Copy the text in the Not Asked field (unless( q3.b=(1,2))). Select the heading above question 4, and then hold down the [Ctrl] key and click to select the associated Other response box as well. Open the Variable properties window and paste the copied text into the Not Asked field. This page should now only appear if the respondents find public transport inconvenient. Step 5: Omit a single question from a grid In the survey provided, there is a grid of questions that are asked of all respondents. The second of these questions (Q8.b) asks if they “would cycle to work if provisions were available (e.g. shower)”. You do not want to ask this question if they ever cycle to work. Since it is a simple condition, you can enter it directly into the Variable Properties dialog, without going through the adding a routing rule. Select this question and click or press the [Alt] + [Enter] keys, to display the Variable Properties window. Type unless (q1=5) in the Not Asked field. This will cause this question to be asked if the respondent has selected code 5 (Bike) in response to question 1.</li > Click [OK]. Note that the routing arrow is not visible. Step 6: Publish and check your survey You can now publish your survey in preview mode and check the routing. You should test every possible path and combination of responses to the first question. You can inspect the demonstration survey provided, which has more complicated routing, as well as the examples that have been explained in this survey. If there is a topic you would like a worksheet on, email to snapideas@snapsurveys.com