Demographic cohorts and minimum thresholds
How demographic filters work in InviziPoll results, why cohort slices need at least five responses, how they differ from roster attributes, and how the Anonymity Coach helps.
On this page
Demographic questions let you slice aggregate results by dimensions such as department or location. InviziPoll still shows charts and totals only - not a list of who answered, and not per-response timestamps or submission order.
Two thresholds - Poll-wide results unlock after at least three responses. Any filtered cohort view needs at least five matching responses before that slice appears. Below either bar, the UI stays locked without exact counts.
What a cohort is
When a poll collects optional demographic dimensions, each combination of answers (for example “Engineering × EMEA”) is a cohort. Admins can filter unlocked aggregates by those dimensions after decryption on their device. Demographic answers travel with the encrypted response; they are not a separate identifiable roster.
Why this matters - Small groups are easy to reverse-engineer. A five-person filter that shows 100% “disagree” effectively names the group. The product hides those slices on purpose.
Self-reported demographics versus roster attributes
The dimensions on this page are self-reported: a respondent answers a question, and their answer is what you can filter by. That's a claim the respondent made about themselves, and people pick the department they feel part of rather than the one on the org chart.
Roster attributes are the other route. Department, location, tenure band and manager are imported from a contact list CSV, collapsed at send time so no combination points at fewer than five people, and attached to each ballot on email magic-link distribution. Your browser filters by them behind the same floor of five, and they're labelled distinctly, "Department (roster)", so a roster cut is never mistaken for a self-reported one. The two sets never merge, because they're different claims that disagree in practice. Roster attributes cost no questions, and they also feed the fixed cut catalog inside a published results document. See Roster attributes and cuts.
Use self-reported dimensions when there's no roster, when the poll goes out by access code or open link, or when how people see themselves is the thing you're measuring.
Prerequisites
- A published poll with demographic dimensions you intend to report on
- At least three overall responses to unlock poll-wide results
- At least five responses in the filtered group before a cohort chart unlocks
- Add demographics carefullyIn the poll wizard, tag only dimensions you will report. Prefer one or two high-value fields.
- Read the Anonymity CoachMultiple dimensions multiply combinations. Many slices may stay locked - that is expected.
- Collect responsesShare the poll and wait. Early responders do not appear as a named list.
- Filter after unlockWhen poll-wide results unlock, apply a demographic filter. Under five matching responses, the slice stays locked with no exact count.
- Adjust next timeIf too many slices lock, reduce dimensions or widen the audience.
Sharing one cohort with its manager
The filter you apply here stays in your browser. To let a manager see their own team's numbers without giving them the poll, use Share a slice on the results tab. It takes the group you have filtered to, refuses below the same five-response floor, and produces a read-only link to a fixed, aggregate-only snapshot with an expiry you choose. The full mechanism, including why it is a snapshot rather than a key, is in Share a slice.
Open-text answers narrow with the filter too: below the floor the written answers lock along with the charts.
What you will not see
Admins do not get per-person answer rows, identifiable respondent lists, or metadata that reveals who answered first or last. Cohort tools filter aggregates only. Small combinations return a locked / no-data state rather than a thin chart.
Related docs
- Viewing results
- Roster attributes and cuts
- Aggregate results and anti-inference
- Creating your first poll
FAQ
Why is my department filter locked when the poll already unlocked?
Poll-wide unlock (three responses) and cohort unlock (five in that filter) are separate. Overall charts can unlock while a narrow department slice stays hidden.
Can I lower the five-response cohort floor?
No. The minimum is a product anonymity control, not a workspace preference. Plan audience size with that floor in mind.
Do demographic answers identify people to InviziPoll staff?
No. Demographic values support aggregate reporting after authorized admins unlock results. Support workflows do not expose individual answers.