Our data sets
We produce several data sets to help you understand a range of different audiences. These are either primary data sets or add-ons.
Primary data sets are independent of each other, with their respective surveys being fielded among entirely separate samples of respondents.
Add-ons are all recontact studies, which means we recontact respondents from GWI Core and ask them if they'd like to take part in another survey.
Can I use add-ons with GWI Core?
Because all of our add-ons are recontact studies of GWI Core, you can compare and combine questions from GWI Core with those from each add-on.
This means you can:
Directly compare GWI Core audiences with questions from an add-on (or vice versa)
Use a mix of questions from both GWI Core and one of its add-ons to create an audience, chart, crosstab or dashboard that uses the best of both
Direct comparison between GWI Core and our add-ons wasn't always possible, which means many of our add-ons have compatible GWI Core questions appended to their respective taxonomies (usually within a folder named "Legacy GWI Core questions").
These appended questions are duplicates that only exist as a result of this legacy setup. We recommend avoiding these duplicates and selecting questions directly from the GWI Core taxonomy instead.
How can I combine GWI Core with an add-on?
Charts, Audiences or Dashboards
Using add-ons in conjunction with GWI Core is simple. If you're in Charts, Audiences or Dashboards, go to the "datasets" filter near the top of the screen and ensure both GWI Core and an add-on (e.g. GWI Core Plus) are selected. You'll then be able to pull in questions from both taxonomies.
If you are in the chart builder and want to combine data points from multiple data sets simultaneously, you'll want to use the "add an attribute" button and then navigate the taxonomy of the relevant data set.
If you use the question charts on the left side of your screen, your chart will reset every time you select a different question.
Crosstabs
If you're in Crosstabs, there's no "datasets" filter, which means you can begin using questions from GWI Core and any of its add-ons just by clicking "add an attribute / audience", then navigating the taxonomy of the relevant data set
How can I zoom in on the add-on audience?
When combining GWI Core with any add-on, if you'd like to zoom in on the audience of a specific add-on, you'll need to rebase to the audience size of that specific add-on. You can find the audience size of each add-on data set within the "survey details" folder.
In Crosstabs, the first row of totals defaults to GWI Core respondents. Therefore, when using Crosstabs, you may find it helpful to rebase to the relevant data set's audience size when analyzing your data.
Can I combine other GWI data sets?
Although you can use add-ons with GWI Core, not all GWI data sets are compatible with each other.
You can't compare questions from one add-on with those from another add-on
You can't compare questions from one primary data set with those from another primary data set
This is because the sample between our add-ons and across our primary data sets doesn't necessarily overlap. (This is especially true for GWI Kids, which represents an entirely separate demographic.)
Will I ever see differences in results between data sets?
In most cases, the story told by each of our data sets will be similar. However, differences in universe and sample, as well as question wording, format and context, mean exact results may vary.
You can find more info on that here.