---
title: Single Sentiment Score from Text
category: Text Analysis
slug: single-sentiment-score
blurb: Create a single numeric sentiment score from open-text responses while keeping the full sentiment breakdown.
order: 9
---
# Single Sentiment Score from Text

This workflow converts text responses into one sentiment category per response, then into a single numeric score (mean).  
It is useful when you want one headline sentiment metric, but still keep full category detail.

![Single sentiment score walkthrough](https://player.mux.com/021TjeH02wX4Pi8b00NOl01yFqSVcwPMxy6PXAtyBmCitzM)

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## Where to find it

1. Open a **Text** column.
2. Click **AI Coding / Tagging**.
3. Click **Get started**.
4. Select **I want to analyze the text into themes or other categories**.

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## Step 1: set sentiment categories

For this workflow, use a manual code list so you control the sentiment scale.

1. Click **I have codes**.
2. Add sentiment labels (one per line), for example:
   - Very negative
   - Negative
   - Neutral
   - Positive
   - Very positive
3. Click **Continue**.
4. (Optional) refine code descriptions to improve consistency.

Tip: Use clear text labels first. You can map them to numbers later.

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## Step 2: apply one code per response

1. In the review/apply step, select **Apply One Code Per Record**.
2. Choose your model (for example, **Fast** for speed).
3. Click **Apply Codes**.

This creates a new categorical sentiment column with one sentiment label per row.

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## Step 3: convert sentiment labels to numeric values

1. Open the new sentiment column.
2. Click **Assign numbers**.
3. Map labels to an ordered scale (for example, Very negative = 1 ... Very positive = 5).
4. Click **Save**.

Now the sentiment column can be summarized as a numeric score.

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## Step 4: view the single sentiment score

1. Switch from distribution to stats view:
   - In many charts this appears as **Box/Dot Plot | Bins** (choose **Box/Dot Plot**), or
   - In some layouts it appears as **Key Stats | Ranges** (choose **Key Stats**).
2. If shown, choose **Mean** in **Box Plot | Mean**.
3. Turn on **Show numbers on chart** if you want exact values shown on the chart.

The mean value is your single sentiment score.

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## Compare groups or view overall

- **By group:** Add a pivot (for example, by segment, region, or customer type) to compare average sentiment scores between groups.
- **Overall:** Remove pivots to show one overall sentiment mean for the full selection.

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## Why this workflow is useful

- You get one easy-to-track numeric metric.
- You still keep the full label breakdown (Very negative to Very positive).
- You can switch between detailed categorical view and summary score view in the same column.

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## Related guides

- For assigning values to labels: [Assign Numbers](../preparation/assign-numbers)
- For theme-level sentiment by topic: [Topic-Based Sentiment Analysis](topic-based-sentiment)
- For iterative coding and refinement: [Thematic Coding (Iterative)](thematic-coding)

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