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Filter, Split, and Compare in the Survey Tab: What's the Difference?

Filter, Split, and Compare are all available in the main Survey tab. They are not locked to persona tabs. If you've been looking for them elsewhere, that's the most common point of confusion. Start here.

All three functions are accessed from the icon bar at the top right of the main Survey tab.

Filter

Filter restricts the working dataset to a chosen subset. Once applied, every question in the survey displays results calculated from that subset alone. The total participant count updates to reflect the filtered number of respondents.

Screenshot of the Filter control in the main Survey tab of a Standard Insights report
Filter changes the working dataset itself, so every result updates to reflect only the selected subset.

Use Filter when you need to focus on one segment in isolation, for example showing results for 18-24 year olds only, with all other respondents removed from the view.

Filter changes what data is included. Split and Compare do not. They keep the full dataset and add columns.

Split

Split keeps the full dataset but breaks every question down by group, based on a single source question you choose. If you split by age, for example, each age group appears as its own column across every chart in the survey.

Screenshot of a survey question split by age in the Standard Insights Survey tab
Split derives every comparison column from the answer groups of a single question.

Reading The Heatmap Colour Coding In Split View

When you run a split, cells are colour coded automatically:

  • Green: 5 or more percentage points above the average for that response
  • Red: 5 or more percentage points below the average for that response
  • Arrows: indicate direction relative to the total response

Use Split when the groups you want to compare all come from the answer options of a single question.

Compare

Compare works similarly to Split but removes the constraint of a single source question. Instead of generating columns from the answer groups of one question, Compare lets you define each group independently, for example placing 18-24 year olds alongside a male-only dataset, two groups defined by different questions.

Screenshot of the Compare control in the main Survey tab of a Standard Insights report
Compare lets each column be defined separately instead of pulling all groups from one source question.

Use Compare when the groups you want to place side by side cannot be derived from the same question. This is the key distinction from Split: Split derives all its columns from one question's answer groups, while Compare lets you define each group freely.

Saving A View

Any configured Filter, Split, or Compare view can be saved as a named tab. Saved views appear next to Main in the top navigation bar and stay available for the duration of your project. This is useful when you need to return to the same configuration across multiple working sessions.

Quick Reference: Which Function To Use

Function What It Does Use It When
Filter Restricts the dataset to one selected subset. You want to analyze one audience in isolation and remove everyone else from the results.
Split Keeps the full dataset and adds columns based on one source question. You want to compare all answer groups from the same question, such as age bands or regions.
Compare Keeps the full dataset and adds independently defined comparison groups. You want side-by-side groups that cannot be built from one question alone.

The simplest rule is this: use Filter to narrow the dataset, use Split to break the full dataset into columns from one question, and use Compare when each column needs its own custom definition.