> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.culture-vibe.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pulse metrics and trends

> Interpret pulse participation, eNPS, anchors, and rotating questions without mixing incompatible metrics.

Pulse trends are meaningful when the same measure is repeated under comparable conditions.

## What can form a pulse trend

* The program’s repeated eNPS item.
* An exact canonical anchor repeated across cycles.
* Another pinned question whose wording and scale remain unchanged.

Rotating questions can be analyzed in the cycles where they appear, but they do not automatically create a continuous series.

## Pulse versus engagement survey scores

Do not connect an overall engagement-survey average to a pulse average. They are based on different instruments and may contain different questions, scales, and category weights.

An engagement survey and a pulse can be compared only at the level of an **exact shared canonical question** with the same wording and response scale. Even then, describe the context and timing.

## Response rate is not engagement

Response rate measures participation. Engagement scores summarize answers. A high response rate does not guarantee a high engagement score, and a low rate can make any score less representative.

<Warning>
  Similar names do not make two metrics identical. “Engagement,” “pulse engagement,” and “participation” must not be merged into one trend unless their definitions match.
</Warning>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can pulse and annual engagement averages share one chart?">
    No. The overall averages use different question sets and are not one continuous metric.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can the same engagement anchor connect them?">
    Yes, when it is the exact canonical item with unchanged wording and scale. Compare that item, not the two survey-wide averages.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does a trend have gaps?">
    The question may not have appeared in every cycle, or a cycle may be hidden because it did not meet the anonymity threshold.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How should I explain a change?">
    Pair the number with participation, audience changes, comments, business events, and actions taken between cycles.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>