Chapter 2:
Representing qualitative Data
Review: Qualitative data?
• Qualitative data are usually in the form of
labels, categories, attributes...
• It cannot be measured numerically.
Why we need to represent data?
• Make information easier to understand
• Summarize large amounts of data
• Reveal patterns and relationships
• Support analysis and decision-making
Methods to represent qualitative data:
• For univariate data: frequency tables/ relative
frequency tables; bar chart/ column chart; pie
chart
• For bivariate data: crosstabulation (cross-tab);
side-by-side bar chart/ multiple bar charts;
stacked bar chart; segmented bar chart…
Presenting a qualitative variable data
(univariate data)
• Frequency tables/ relative frequency tables
• Bar charts
• Pie charts
Frequency tables/ relative frequency tables
Bar/ column charts
Pie charts
Representing data of two qualitative
variables (bivariate data)
• Crosstabulation (cross-tab)
• Side-by-side bar chart (multiple bar charts)
• Stacked bar chart
• Segmented bar chart
Crosstabulation
• Example: Favorite Fruit by Gender (30 students)
Side-by-side bar chart (multiple bar charts)
Stacked bar chart
Segmented bar chart
A segmented bar chart is a type of chart that uses segmented bars that
add up to 100% to help us visualize the distribution of categorical data.
Tables or Charts
• Use tables for precision and detailed data
• Use charts for visualization and quick
comparison.
• Combine them for both detail and clarity
Summary
• Qualitative data = categories/ attributes (not
numbers)
• Tables → precision
• Charts → visual clarity
Practice
• Get data set from the FILE:
• Let’s choose some qualitative variables and
use appropriate methods to present those
variables.
• Tools: SPSS, Excel