FinnSurveyText

Survey open answers analysis

Open-ended questions are an important way to obtain unexpected points of view from surveys. Analysing Finnish open-ended survey responses has traditionally been time-consuming and difficult, leading many researchers in survey statistics to rely more confidently on closed-question responses.

This project examines how survey open answers in Finnish can be analysed fruitfully by combining survey statistics with modern language technology.

An R tool for analysing survey responses has been published. Current work focuses on extending the tool to additional languages and developing a graphical user interface to make it easier to use.

Analysing voices expressed in small languages is crucial for a diverse global world in which people’s concerns can be heard regardless of language or culture.

The project has been funded by the Research Council of Finland as part of the DARIAH infrastructure for Social Sciences and Humanities.