Multivariate Statistical Techniques

Social Research I

The key issue in choosing a statistical technique is whether the variables are numerical or categorical. Use the following table.

Statistical Technique based upon Numerical or Categorical Type of Variables.

		Independent Variable
		Numerical	Categorical
Dependent Variable	Numerical	Correlation Regression	Regression Comparison of Means ANOVA
	Categorical	Logistic Regression Comparison of Means ANOVA	Crosstab

Using SPSS

1. Comparison of Means:

Analyze> Compare Means> Means

The numerical variable goes in the dependent list.

2. Crosstabs:

Analyze>Descriptives>Crosstabs

Compute percentage along the independent variable. (Under “Cells” select either row or column.)

3. ANOVA:

Analyze> Compare Means> One-Way ANOVA

The categorical goes in the factor list.

4. Correlation:

Analyze>Correlation>Bivariate

5. Regression:

When the dependent variable is numerical, do a linear regression.

Analyze>Regression>Linear