Different countries will often respond to survey scales in distinctive ways – either by using the very positive side of the scale, or the very negative side of the scale. Over the last several decades, it has become clear that responses in cross-national research cannot always be taken at face value without facing consequences to the integrity of the research.

ADP Research Institute has devised a way to address this response style bias and the differential use of response scales across cultures and languages, in order to responsibly analyze data collected across countries. This report describes our method of standardizing responses across varying cultures, languages, and countries, in order to draw insights and understandings that are valid and backed by data.