Exclusive answers are answer options that can't be selected alongside any other answer. They are useful for options like "None of these", "I don't know" or "Prefer not to say", where picking the option contradicts picking anything else.

When a respondent chooses an exclusive answer, Attest clears their other selections for them. This keeps your data clean, because a respondent can't select "None of these" and a brand in the same question.

You write the wording yourself, so the answer can match your question exactly. Exclusive answers sit alongside your other answer options, rather than being fixed at the bottom of the list.

Exclusive answers are available on:

Exclusive answers show an Exclusive tag in the editor, so you can tell them apart from your other answers.

You can add as many exclusive answers to a question as you need. For example, you could offer both "None of these" and "I don't know", and respondents can choose only one of them, and nothing else.

In a grid question, exclusive answers work row by row. A respondent can choose an exclusive answer for one row and still select several answers for another.

For example, in a grid that asks which devices people use for different activities, a respondent could select "None of these" for Streaming and choose both "Phone" and "Laptop" for Gaming.

Exclusive answers behave like your other answers when it comes to order. If you have turned on answer randomisation, exclusive answers are randomised with the rest. You can also pin an exclusive answer to a fixed position, such as the bottom of the list. See Randomising questions and answers for more detail.

Exclusive answers follow a few simple rules:

To see this in action, use Preview before you launch your survey. For more on selection limits, see Configuring question settings.

In your results, exclusive answers are marked with an icon on both multiple choice and grid questions. This lets you see which answers were exclusive when you interpret your data.

In the survey editor, Compass can create exclusive answers for you when it drafts or edits multiple choice and grid questions. You can describe the answer in plain English, for example: "Add a multiple choice question about which streaming services I use, with 'None of these' as an exclusive answer."

As with all Compass output, review the question before you launch your survey. For more on working with Compass, see Introducing Compass.

Attest already offers built-in None and N/A options. These are also exclusive, so respondents can't combine them with other answers. Exclusive answers work in the same way, but give you control over the wording, the number of answers and where they sit. You can use them together.

Choose exclusive answers when you want your own wording, such as "None of these brands", or when you need more than one answer that can't be combined with others.