In this article, we’ll explain:
- Applying filters
- Adding attributes to your chart
- Applying an audience to your chart
- Segmenting and rebasing
- Saving and exporting
- Sharing your chart
- Retaining your selection in question charts
- GWI Metrics explained
Applying filters
You can add filters to your chart to help contextualize your data and narrow the scope of what you’re analyzing. The filter options in Charts include ‘Datasets’, ‘Waves’ (in other words, research periods), and ‘Locations’. You can also add audiences to your charts, segment the data, or add specific bases.
You can find all of these options at the top of your chart:
The rest of this article explains the ‘Dataset’, ‘Waves’ and ‘Locations’ filters in more detail.
Dataset filters
Selecting a data set enables you to choose a different group of attributes for use in your chart. By default, the Core dataset is selected. The Dataset option is in the top left of the filter menu.
You can use ‘Core Plus’ and ‘Zeitgeist’, which are free add-ons to ‘GWI Core’, by simply selecting the two datasets (Core and the other dataset). However, some of the datasets may not be compatible.
To change the dataset you’re using, click on the ‘Dataset’ filter option. This opens a selection panel. Click the ‘Clear all’ button at the top right of the panel, then select the checkbox for the data set you want. Finally, click ‘Apply 1 dataset’ at the bottom of the panel.
Wave filters
You can change the waves applied using the filter menu. By default, the last 4 waves (12 months) are applied to your chart. The reason for this is that somebody can only take our survey once in a 12 month period, so using 4 consecutive waves ensures that you have a sample made up of unique respondents.
The ‘Waves’ option is in the centre of the filter menu.
To change the waves applied, click on the ‘Waves’ filter option. This opens a selection panel. Choose individual waves using the arrow drop downs on the right of the year tick boxes. You can also select the checkbox next to the year to select the 4 waves for that particular year.
Select the relevant waves you want, and click ‘Apply X waves’ at the bottom of the panel.
Location filters
You can select locations using the ‘Locations filter’ in the filter menu. By default, all locations (53 markets) are applied to your chart. The ‘Location’ filter is on the right of the filter menu.
To change the locations applied, click on the ‘Locations’ filter. This opens a selection panel. Click the ‘Deselect All’ button at the top of the panel to remove all markets.
Click the checkbox next to a region to choose all markets within that region, or use the dropdown menu to select individual markets. Finally, click ‘Apply X locations’ at the bottom of the panel.
Setting a base audience
Adding a new base allows you to filter the base audience of your chart. By default, the base is set to “All Internet Users - age 16-64”. However, in certain markets, this will be ‘All Internet Users - age 16+’.
A base can include any of your created audiences, or any of the default audiences pre-built by GWI.
You set a new base by clicking on the ellipsis next to ‘All internet users’, under the ‘dataset’ filter, and then selecting ‘replace’.
Select the audience you want to add as a base from either ‘All’, ‘My Audiences’, ‘Shared’, or ‘GWI Audiences’. Click the checkbox next to the audience you want to use, and then select ‘Apply new base audience’.
Alternatively, use the ‘Create new audience’ option to build a new audience to use as a base.
Applying an audience
Applying an audience allows you to filter your chart by the attributes you’ve set within your audience. You can use audiences that you’ve previously created, shared audiences, default audiences created by GWI, or create a new audience to apply to your chart.
Select ‘Apply an audience’ to begin adding an audience to your chart.
To choose an audience, click on either ‘My Audiences’, ‘Shared’, or ‘GWI Audiences’. If you know the name of the audience you want to use, you can search for it using the Search audiences bar.
Select the checkbox next to your audience and then click ‘Apply X audience’. In this example we’re applying ‘Tiktok users’:
You can also create a new audience to add to your chart. To do this, click the ‘Create new audience’ button and follow the steps outlined here to build your audience. Finish by selecting Save and Add to Chart.
Segments
You can split your data using a number of predefined segmentation options.
To segment your data, select ‘Segment by’ on the lower right side of the filter menu, beneath ‘Locations’:
Select either the group checkbox, or use the dropdowns to select individual segments within the groups. Finally click ‘Apply X segments’.
When segmenting your chart, by default your base audience isn’t affected. You can opt to segment your base audience to provide you with a relative calculation for the index and data point percentage.
To segment the base audience, choose your segments, then toggle the ‘Segment your base audience’ button from off to on. Finally click ‘Apply X segments’.
Adding attributes to your chart
You can create your own chart by adding attributes to it; to do this, go into the ‘Charts’ section of the platform, and click ‘create a chart’ (this can be found in the top right corner).
Next, you need to check your ‘Datasets’, ‘Waves’, and ‘Locations’ filter, which can be found along the top.
Check that the dataset you want to look at is selected. By default, the last 4 waves of research will be selected. Check the ‘Locations’ filter is focusing on the location you want to look at. By default, all the locations you have available to you within your account will be selected.
Next, you want to start adding attributes to your chart, which you do so by selecting ‘Add an attribute’.
Either use the ‘search attributes’ function to find the desired attribute, or click into the folder to find the attribute you are after.
Once you have found the attribute(s) you want, you can either sort by ‘default’, ‘A to Z’, or ‘Z to A’.
You can see any information on the question by clicking on ‘View details’. Here you can see the waves this question was asked in, the locations, and any notes.
Select the attributes you want to look at. If you want to add the full question, you can do so by clicking ‘Add full question’.
Once you have selected the desired attributes, click ‘Apply X attributes’.
You now have your chart. You now have some different ways to view your data. You can sort the data, either by ‘Ascending’ or ‘Descending’ order.
You can change the primary metric (the one in bold text, which by default is ‘Audience %) by simply clicking on a different one.
You can change the way you view the data, from ‘Chart view’ (the default) to ‘Table view’.
By default, all 5 metrics are selected, however if you wanted to look at just ‘Index’ and ‘Audience %’ for example, click ‘Metrics’ beneath the ‘Locations’ filter.
You can then select the metrics you want to look on, and click ‘Apply’.
Finally, remember to click ‘Save changes’, and name your chart.

Applying an audience to your chart
Once you have your chart, you need to apply your audience.
Applying an audience allows you to filter your chart by the attributes you’ve set within your audience. You can use audiences that you’ve previously created, shared audiences, default audiences created by GWI, or create a new audience to apply to your chart.
Select ‘Apply an audience’ to begin adding an audience to your chart.
To choose an audience, click on either ‘My Audiences’, ‘Shared’, or ‘GWI Audiences’. If you know the name of the audience you want to use, you can search for it using the 'Search audiences' bar.
Select the checkbox next to your audience and then click ‘Apply X audience’. In this example we’re applying ‘Men interested in cooking’.
Click ‘Apply 1 audience’.
You can also create a new audience to add to your chart. To do this, click the ‘Create new audience’ button and follow the steps outlined here to build your audience.
Finish by selecting ‘Save’ and ‘Add to Chart’.
Segmenting and rebasing
Adding a new base allows you to filter the base audience of your chart. By default, the base is set to “All Internet Users - age 16-64”. However, in certain markets, this will be ‘All Internet Users - age 16+’.
A base can include any of your created audiences, or any of the default audiences pre-built by GWI.
You set a new base by clicking on the ellipsis next to ‘All internet users’, under the ‘Dataset’ filter, and then selecting ‘replace’.
Select the audience you want to add as a base from either ‘All’, ‘My Audiences’, ‘Shared’, or ‘GWI Audiences’. You can sort these by ‘Frequently used’, ‘Recently edited’, ‘A to Z’ and ‘Z to A’.
Click the checkbox next to the audience you want to use, and then select ‘Apply new base audience’.
Alternatively, use the ‘Create new audience’ option to build a new audience to use as a base.
To segment your data, select ‘Segment by’ on the lower right side of the filter menu, beneath ‘Locations’.
Either select a whole option category by clicking the blank circle to the left of the segment, or open up the segment dropdown by clicking on the category. Opening the dropdown means you can select individual segments using the check box. Please note that you can only segment by a single category.
Finally click ‘Apply X segments’.
When segmenting your chart, by default your base audience isn’t affected. You can opt to segment your base audience to provide you with a relative calculation for the index and data point percentage.
To segment the base audience, choose your segments, then toggle the ‘Segment your base audience’ button from off to on. Finally click ‘Apply X segments’.
Saving and exporting
Saving a chart
Once you’re happy with your new chart, you can save it by clicking on the ‘Save changes’ button in the top right hand corner of the screen.
You’ll be asked to name your chart:
Click ‘Save’ and you’re done. You can access all your saved charts from the charts homepage.
Saving a chart as new
To modify an existing chart without the need to rebuild it from scratch, simply select 'Save as new' located in the top right corner, just above the 'Locations' filter. This will allow you to preserve the original chart while making any necessary adjustments.
Exporting your chart
It’s easy to export a chart - just click the ‘Export’ button in the top right hand corner of the screen.
Next, choose between either PDF or PNG for a visual format, or XLSX or CSV for a spreadsheet format.
Your chart will be exported into the format you’ve selected and start downloading.
Please note: We've updated the export format for CSV/XLSX files in charts. The new format will make it much easier to do complex analysis outside of the platform, and to create charts in programs like Powerpoint.
The current export format works for straightforward analysis, but we wanted to improve your ability to do more complex analysis when using segments. In the old format, applying a segment would split your attribute into multiple rows, and this made it very difficult to analyze how a specific attribute changed across different audiences and segments. The new format maintains your attribute as a single row so that you can easily compare differences between different audiences and segments. For example, if you want to analyze the ‘I am loyal to the brands I like’ attribute (see below), you can now read across a single row to understand how the attribute trends across your audiences and each segment. This rule applies for any additional attributes; all will be exported as a single row per attribute. It will also allow you to easily filter in spreadsheets like Excel or Google Sheets, to find key values e.g. the highest datapoint % for your chosen audience and segment.
Creating charts
Building a chart in a spreadsheet program like Excel or Google Sheets is much easier if your data points are in single rows. With the new export format, you can now build your charts much faster as each attribute will only have a single row.
The new format is now consistent with both the table view in the GWI platform, and with exports that do not contain segments. For any charts that don't have a segment applied, the export format won’t have changed. The new format simply adds segments to your export in a format that is easier to analyse and to build visuals.
Sharing your chart
We know that once you have created a chart in the GWI platform, you’ll want to share your unique insights with the people that need to see them. That’s why there are a few different, flexible ways to share charts; to make sure you get your insights in front of the right people, at the right time.
You can share charts from the individual chart view or on the charts management homepage.
Share your charts:
- Via link
- With a specific email addresses
- With your entire organization
Share via link
To share via link, you’ll need to select the unique URL of a specific chart. This method is best if you want to share your charts via instant messenger, email, or in any content you create.
Simply head into the chart you want to share and click the link icon in the top right corner to copy the URL. Then, just paste it wherever you want to share it.
Share with specific email addresses
If you want to share your chart with a few select people, you can simply type (or copy and paste) their email addresses to share a chart with them. This method can be used for one or many email addresses.
When a chart is shared via email, the recipient will receive a notification. The chart will then be automatically saved in the recipient’s list of saved charts.
Share with your organization
If you create a chart and you want your entire business to have access to it, this is the sharing method for you.
Simply click on the Share button in the top right corner of the platform, and in the pop-up that appears on screen, you’ll notice a tick box that you can select to share your chart with your entire organization. You can use this approach in conjunction with individual email sharing.
Please note that in this context “organization” refers to the GWI account that you belong to (based on your Admin setup), and may not necessarily be your entire real-world organization.
Once you have shared a chart, you can edit the sharing permissions to add or remove recipients as you see fit.
FAQs
- Do I have to pay to share charts?
No, this feature is available to all users including those on the free plan.
- Can I share my charts with someone that is not a GWI user?
If you share a chart with somebody that does not have a GWI account, to view the chart they can easily sign up for the free plan. They may however have limited visibility, subject to the data available in their subscription.
- Do I need to save my chart to share it?
Yes, and the platform will automatically prompt you to do that.
- Who can see the edits I make to a shared chart?
If you make any changes and then save a shared chart, the changes will be automatically visible to recipients of the chart. This is also the case if you delete the chart.
- Will the people I share my chart with be able to edit it?
No, any changes that they make to your chart will only be visible to them. To save an edited chart, these users will have to click ‘Save as new’, which creates a duplicate of the chart that can be reshared. They also won’t be able to edit the sharing permissions of your charts.
- If someone shares a chart with me, can I remove it?
You can remove a shared chart from your list of saved charts if you don’t want it to display. You can do this on the charts management screen.
- Can I share a chart folder?
At present, it’s not possible to share a chart folder but you can share your charts in bulk by multi-selecting them from the charts management screen.
Retaining your selection in question charts
Taking the time to customise your question chart should be something you do once. So when you browse through your question charts in a dataset, the GWI platform ensures that everything you have customized is retained.
That means you don’t need to update your audiences, waves, locations and segments every time you want to explore a new question in the platform – meaning that finding insights across our extensive datasets is faster and easier.
Browse through the folders in your Dataset to specific questions by clicking the arrow to the left of your chart.
This will open up the other questions from within that folder, and you will be able to easily switch between question charts and datasets by clicking into each folder.
FAQs
- Can I save my question chart and continue browsing?
Yes, you can save your question chart and then continue to browse using the back button in the platform or your browser.
- What is retained when I browse to a new question chart?
Everything you have applied to your chart, including: audiences, waves, locations, segments, sorting and chart view. You can even view your question chart as a table, and browsing to a new question chart will open as a table.
- Do I need to save my Question Chart to retain my selection?
No, you can discard any changes and continue to browse through your dataset and your selection will be retained.
- Can I update my selection?
Yes! Any updates you want to make to your customized selection will be retained.
- When will my selection reset?
It will reset when you navigate to a question chart in a different dataset, when you leave the ‘Charts’ area of the platform, or when you manually reset your selection.
- How do I reset my selection manually?
The reset icon will refresh your selection to the default for your question chart without removing any of your data.
- Why does my selection reset when I change dataset?
Different datasets can have different waves and locations included in the survey, and your audiences may not be compatible with the new dataset you are browsing.
- Can I retain my selection for other types of Charts?
At the moment, your selection will only be retained for question charts.