Why topic totals inside a category can be higher than the category total
In Caplena, all chart values and percentages are calculated on a respondent level — every number represents how many respondents mentioned something, not how many topic assignments exist.
Because of this, it is expected and correct that:
The sum of all topics inside a category can be higher than the category’s total.
How counts in charts work
Category counts — the number of respondents who mentioned any topic in that category. Each respondent is counted once, even if their answer matches multiple topics inside the category.
Topic counts — the number of respondents who mentioned that specific topic. If a respondent mentions multiple topics, they count once for each.
This is why topic totals can exceed the category total: topic counts include multiple mentions from the same respondent, while the category count includes each respondent only once. This is intentional and reflects the true underlying data structure.
Example: “PRODUCT QUALITY”
Category: PRODUCT QUALITY — 38.2%
This means 38.2% of all respondents mentioned something about Product Quality. Each respondent is counted once, even if their answer covers several quality aspects.
Topics inside PRODUCT QUALITY:
- Picture Quality — 18.4%
- Reliability — 16%
- Durability — 6.8%
- Sound Quality — 6%
Adding these up exceeds 38.2% — and that’s correct, because a single respondent can match multiple topics within the same category.
Real-world example
Caplena assigned this response three topics:
- Picture Quality (under PRODUCT QUALITY)
- Sound Quality (under PRODUCT QUALITY)
- Accessories (under PRODUCT FEATURES)
Numerically, this respondent counts:
- 1 for Picture Quality
- 1 for Sound Quality
- 1 total for PRODUCT QUALITY (the category)
They do not count twice in the category even though they triggered two topics within it.Last modified on May 24, 2026
