Downloading and preparing survey data using the Qualtrics API in the Stata ecosystem

Downloading and preparing survey data for analysis from online platforms such as Qualtrics is a time-consuming and error-prone task. The qualtrics.ado command interacts with the Qualtrics API to download, and clean, data quickly with less error. The program requires users to enter their Qualtrics credentials. The command allows users to display a list of the surveys associated with that account, to download surveys with IDs retrieved from that list, and to apply variable and value labels. In this presentation, we will cover the functions of the .ado and demonstrate applied examples. The program uses cURL requests to fetch data from the Qualtrics API and import them into Stata, processes the files in Stata, then passes them back to the Qualtrics API or applies them to the downloaded data (such as variable and value labels and question stems). The ability to script the fetching and cleaning from a third-party survey platform opens up other possibilities, such as up-to-date results dashboards or response rates websites, which we will demonstrate in our presentation.