A frequency distribution is the simplist form of statistical analysis. It is nothing more than the percentages of respondents who are classified in a particular way on a given variable.

The Frequency Distribution

To generate frequency distribution, start with the SPSS menu bar.
  1. Select Statistics;
  2. Select Summarize;
  3. Select Frequencies

Selecting Variables for Frequency Distribution

After the Frequency Menu appears on the computer screen:
  1. Select V04 (Presidential Vote) from the variable list.
  2. Click on arrow to move the variable name to the next window.
  3. Click on OK; SPSS will now generate a frequency distribution for that variable.

One variable may be selected, or several variables may be selected. If you wish a frequency distribution for more than one variable, instead of clicking on "OK" [step 3 above, simply select more variable names from the list, move them to the new list by clicking on the arrow; finish by clicking "OK".


The Data

The frequency distribution produced by SPSS contains the following information:
  1. VALUE: This is a code used to store the data.
  2. FREQUENCY: The count or number of respondents.
  3. PERCENT: The percentage including missing data.
  4. VALID PERCENT: The percentage excluding missing data.
    This is the percentage to report in your table.
  5. CUM PERCENT:Cumulative Percent--you'll usually ignore this data.
  6. TOTALThe total in the frequency column is the total number of cases you will be reporting.


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