How to Back Code Variables in Displayr

Back coding , also known as up coding, refers to situations where a question contains one or more Other specify options and there is a need to allocate these responses into the original code frame (and, as appropriate, create new responses).

For example, if you ask someone their race and they answer "Other" rather than White, Black, Asian, etc. in some instances, it may be possible to backcode the variable rather than leaving them in the "other" category.    

Requirements

• A text variable that you wish to back code (i.e., which contains the other specify responses).

Method

1. In the Data Sources tree, select the text variable that you wish to back code (i.e., which contains the other specify responses).
2. Click + > Text Categorization.
3. Select Multiple themes if respondents could select more than one option when answering the question. Otherwise, select Only one theme. In this example, I will select Multiple themes.
4. Click Start.
5. Click Inputs and Back Coding.
6. From the Corresponding back coding variables dropdown, select the original variable containing the themes you want to use. In this example, "Race" is selected.
7. Click OK.
8. The following message will appear.  Step 10, below, works through what to do. Click OK.
9. The text responses will now show on the right, and the themes from the variable set you're back-coding into are on the left.
10. OPTIONAL - Only relevant when classifying into multiple themes: 
    If you wish to completely remove any reassigned responses from your "Other" category, right-click the "Other" theme on the left side and select Is Other/Specify. In this example, I will right-click "Some other race, ethnicity, or origin" and select Is Other/Specify.
11. Select a response on the right that you want to back code into one of the existing themes.
12. Drag it into one of the existing themes on the left, or click Manually classify and assign it to a theme in the list. 
13. Repeat Steps 11-12 until you've classified as many responses as you can.
14. Click Save to save the classifications to a new variable.
15. A new variable will appear in the Data Sources tree with "Categorized" in the name.

You can use this new variable in your analysis. For example, drag it onto a Page to create a summary table. In the example below, you can see that the count for the "Asian" results has increased and the count for "Some other race, ethnicity, or origin" decreased:

Next

How to Classify Text Data

How to Refine and Edit Text Themes After Classification