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.
This means every number you see represents how many respondents mentioned something, not how many topic assignments exist.
Because of this respondent-based logic, it is expected and correct that:
The sum of all topics inside a category can be higher than the category’s total.
Below is the detailed explanation.
How counts in V3 charts work
1. Category counts = 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.
2. Topic counts = number of respondents who mentioned that specific topic
If a respondent mentions multiple topics, they count once for each of those topics.
3. Therefore: topic totals can exceed the category total
Because 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 from the Category: “PRODUCT QUALITY”
Let’s look at the exact numbers:
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 contains several aspects of quality.
Topics inside PRODUCT QUALITY
The chart shows several topics:
-
Picture Quality — 18.4%
-
Reliability — 16%
-
Durability — 6.8%
-
Sound Quality — 6%
If you add these up, the total is much higher than 38.2%.
This is correct, because…
A single respondent can match multiple “Product Quality” topics
Example real-world comment:
Caplena assigned three topics:
Under PRODUCT QUALITY
-
Picture Quality
-
Sound Quality
Under PRODUCT FEATURES
-
Accessories
Here is what this means numerically:
1 respondent → 2 PRODUCT QUALITY topics
This respondent counts:
-
1 for Picture Quality
-
1 for Sound Quality
-
1 total for PRODUCT QUALITY (category)
They do not count twice in the category even though they triggered two topics.