1. CONCEPT TO BE INCLUDED
Variables
Values
Recoding
Ratio

2. Changing variable types in SPSS

3. aim Changing levels of measurement of a variable in SPSS.
Recoding (into different variables).

4. Example: AGE Changing an age variable with 20
values (ratio scale, young people only)
into a more manageable
dichotomy using SPSS.

5. Menu
Data(matrix) (.sav)
Output (.spv) or
Syntax file (.sps)
Graph/table

6. Menu
Data(matrix) (.sav)
Output (.spv) or
Syntax file (.sps)

7. Menu
PASTE
Data(matrix) (.sav) or
Syntax file (.sps)

8. Variables Variable name Variable label Value labels Value
V1 ‘Age of the respondent’
0 = ‘0’
1 = ‘1 year’
2 = ‘2 years’
3 = ‘ …’ …
999 = ‘no answer’
Value labels
Value

9. Warning 1
Changing a variable cannot be undone So, create a NEW variable, based on the old one and keep the old one too.

10. 1 = ‘1 year’ ‘0-5 years’ Warning 2
Changing value labels, does not change the values Changing values, does not change the value labels
0 = ‘0 year’
1 = ‘1 year’
2 = ‘2’
3 = ‘3’
4 = ‘4’
5 = ‘5’ …
120 = ‘120’
1 = ‘1 year’ …
120 = ‘120’
Change 0,1,2,3,4, and 5
into category ‘1’
‘0-5 years’

11. Five levels of measurement Dichotomy / Dummy
SPSS terminology:
Dichotomy / Dummy
Nominal
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio
NOMINAL
ORDINAL
SCALE

12. We want: 0-12 = 1 ‘child’ 13-20 = 2 ‘youngster’ 998 = ‘missing’ Person
Age 1 2 9 3 4 15 5 20 6 7 13 8 18 11 10
998 12 14
We want:
0-12 = 1 ‘child’
= 2 ‘youngster’
998 = ‘missing’

13. NOW SOME SPSS RECORDING
Changing values and changing labels using recode into different variables

14. THIS MICROLECTURE
Changing levels of measurement of a variable in SPSS.
Recoding (into different variables).
Variables
Values
Dichotomy
Ratio