Understanding grouped vs. ungrouped quotas in profiles

This article explains the two primary ways to apply quotas to conditions within a target group Profile: using ungrouped individual choices versus combining multiple choices into grouped segments. Understanding this distinction helps you accurately define your target audience's distribution.

What are Quotas?

In a target group Profile, quotas specify the desired distribution of respondents based on their answers to profile questions. For instance, you might need 50% male and 50% female respondents. Quotas are built upon the selected answer options, referred to as conditions.

Within the quotas object of a profile question, you can define quotas using either an ungrouped array or a grouped array.

1. Ungrouped Quotas

Ungrouped quotas apply to individual answer options or conditions. Each entry in the ungrouped array represents a single, distinct choice from the profile question, with a specific quantity (percentage or nominal count) attached to it.

• When to Use: This is the most common and straightforward approach. Use ungrouped quotas when you need a precise number or percentage of respondents for each unique answer option you've selected.
• Example: If you want exactly 50% Male and 50% Female, these would be ungrouped quotas on the Male and Female options.

2. Grouped Quotas

Grouped quotas allow you to combine several answer options or conditions into a single quota segment. Respondents who select any of the options within a group will contribute to that group's quota. This functions as an "OR" grouping of conditions.

• When to Use: Grouped quotas are particularly useful for profile questions that have a long list of answer options, such as detailed regions, specific income ranges, or a comprehensive list of product categories. Instead of setting an individual quota for every single option, you can create broader segments.
• How it Works: You define a group by providing a name and an array of indexes. These indexes correspond to the position of the individual options within the conditions.data array of the same profile question. Respondents matching any condition within that group's indexes contribute to the quota_percentage (or quota_nominal) for that group.

Note: Many survey setups are unlikely to require grouped quotas and can effectively use ungrouped quotas for most targeting needs.

Example: Grouping Pet Owners

Consider a profile question about household pets (question_id: 639) with numerous answer options. If you want to meet specific quotas for "Cat owners" OR "Dog owners" combined as one group, and "Other Pet owners" as a second group, you would use grouped quotas.

In this example, we define conditions for various pets. Then, we use the grouped array within quotas to combine specific indexes (which map to the condition options) into broader categories, each with its own quota percentage.

JSON

{
  "profile": {
    "profile_adjustment_type": "percentage",
    "drafts": [
      {
        "question_id": 639, // Example Question ID for "Household Pets"
        "quotas_enabled": true,
        "conditions": {
          "object": "selection_conditions_details_template",
          "data": [
            { "option": "1", "text": "Cat(s)" },                          // Index 0
            { "option": "2", "text": "Dog(s)" },                          // Index 1
            { "option": "3", "text": "Bird(s)" },                         // Index 2
            { "option": "4", "text": "Fish" },                            // Index 3
            { "option": "5", "text": "Amphibians (frogs, toads, etc.)" }, // Index 4
            { "option": "6", "text": "Small animals or rodents (hamsters, mice, rabbits, ferrets, etc.)" }, // Index 5
            { "option": "7", "text": "Reptiles (turtles, snakes, lizards, etc.)" }, // Index 6
            { "option": "8", "text": "Horse(s)" },                        // Index 7
            { "option": "9", "text": "I do not have any pets" },          // Index 8
            { "option": "10", "text": "Other" }                           // Index 9
          ]
        },
        "quotas": {
          "ungrouped": [], // No ungrouped quotas in this example
          "grouped": [
            {
              "name": "Cat or Dog Owners",  // Custom name for the group
              "indexes": [
                0, // Corresponds to "Cat(s)"
                1  // Corresponds to "Dog(s)"
              ],
              "quota_percentage": 67
            },
            {
              "name": "Other Pet Owners",   // Custom name for the second group
              "indexes": [
                2, // Corresponds to "Bird(s)"
                3, // Corresponds to "Fish"
                4, // Corresponds to "Amphibians"
                5, // Corresponds to "Small animals or rodents"
                6, // Corresponds to "Reptiles"
                7, // Corresponds to "Horse(s)"
                8, // Corresponds to "I do not have any pets" (if included in a group like this)
                9  // Corresponds to "Other"
              ],
              "quota_percentage": 33 // Adjusted to make total 100% with Group 1
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

In this example:

• conditions.data lists all the possible answers from the "Household Pets" question, each with an assigned option ID and text, implicitly gaining an index based on its position (starting from 0).
• quotas.ungrouped is empty, indicating no individual quotas are set for single answer options.
• quotas.grouped defines two groups:
  • "Cat or Dog Owners": Includes respondents who selected either "Cat(s)" (index 0) OR "Dog(s)" (index 1). This group has a quota of 67%.
  • "Other Pet Owners": Includes respondents who selected any of the options from index 2 to 9. This group has a quota of 33%.

This structure provides flexibility in how you combine and manage quotas for broader segments of your target audience.