Surviving SPSS

http://dataservices.gmu.edu/workshops/spss

http://dataservices.gmu.edu/software/spss

Debby KermerGeorge Mason University LibrariesData Services Research Consultant

Mason Data Services

http://dataservices.gmu.edu

Wendy MannJoy Suh

Debby Kermer

datahelp@gmu.edu

Geospatial Analysis and

Mapping

Finding & Archiving Data,Data Management Plans

Qualitative & Quantiative Methods, Analysis, & Software

http://dataservices.gmu.edu/software/spss

Download the Dataset

Go to:  http://dataservices.gmu.edu/workshops/spss/

Find SPSS I then click Datafile

Complete the form and read the user agreement

Click Submit and Download Data

Save the file where you can find it

Open the file (by default “PST 11‐05c.sav”)Double‐Click   or File | Open… (if SPSS is open)

Download the Dataset

Go to:  http://dataservices.gmu.edu/files/pew.sav

The file will download

Double‐Click   or File | Open… (if SPSS is open)

Open the Dataset

Click the Workshop Files Icon:Or, go to the "W" drive. 

Choose SPSS Workshop Files

Open “PST 11‐05c.sav”Double‐Click   or File | Open… (if SPSS is open)

Data View

Data ViewLook at the

Data Window

Confirm you are inData View

Where are Variables?

Where are Cases?

Navigating Data View

Variables are in columnsFind variable q2Make q2 wider

Cases are in rowsDetermine the 

# of cases(scroll down)

Value = What is stored and analyzed; the "actual" value

Values & Labels

Label = What is displayed; the characteristic or group

Press or use View | Value Labels 

Value → Label1 → “English”2 → “Spanish”

Switching Views

#1: Click on the Tabsor

#2: Double-Click on the Blue Header area• Variable View• Data View

From Data View, double‐click q2 to switch views

Variable View

Variables & Values

Name – "Nickname"Label – Variable LabelValues – Value Labels

Variable TypesMeasure

Level of MeasurementAvoids incorrect analysis 

Scale (Interval/Ratio)

Ordinal

Nominal

String / Nominal

TypeStorage & Analysis Type

Numeric = For numeric or categorical (label the values)

String = For essay text; only keeps text up to the Width

Missing Values

System Missing.  (a period)

User Missing7 = “N/A”8 = “Don’t Know”9 = “Refused”

Q.2

Name:  q2Type:  NumericLabel: “Generally, how would you say things are these days in your life -- would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?”

Width:  1Measure:  OrdinalValues:

1  = “Very happy”2  = “Pretty happy”3  = “Not too happy”9  = “Don’t know/Refused”

User Missing Values

Add 9 as a User Missing value for q2

Data View Display

Decimals – # of decimals shown (in output, too)

Column – Width of the column

Align – Justification of values in column

only affects the look in Data View

Analyze Menu

Descriptive Statistics

How happy are people with their life?

Analyze | Descriptive Statistics | Frequencies

Finding Variables

Find q2

Type nameVERY FAST

q2

Right Clickto re‐sort

or

Choosing Variables

Click thearrow

Move q2 to the box then click OK

or

Double‐Click the name

Output Window / Viewer

Outline

Output TablesVariableName Variable Label

Value Value Label

Edit | Options: General

Edit | Options: Output

SPSS Syntax

Syntax

Syntax

Keeping Syntax

A. Copy from Output           OR

Double-Click to allow copying. Paste into Syntax Window.

B. Press Paste in Dialog

Pasting does not “Run” the command. So, run it yourself.

Choosing Multiple Variables

Analyze | Descriptive Statistics | Frequencies…Select q3a to q3j Then, Click Paste

Hold Ctrl click on each

Press Shiftclick on last

"Running" Syntax

1. Highlight what to "Run" 2. Press the "Play" Button

Q.3a‐j

Reproducible Variable Properties

Defining Variable Properties

Editing Syntax

Copy

Paste

Then Run!

Original

Goal

Is there a relationship between happiness and having pets?

Happiness q2

1 Happy = 1 & 2 0 Not Happy = 3

Have pets q75

1 Has Pets = 10 No Pets = 2+

Use Edit | Go to Variable…

Windows

WindowsSyntax.sps

Data.sav

Output.spv

Unsaved ActiveInactive

Frequencies & More

For the Q3‐Series, get: Mean Median SD Min Max Range

Don't forget to choose Paste, then Run.

Analyze | Descriptive Statistics | Frequencies

Tip

Double-click the table to open it in a separate windowClick Pivot | Transpose Rows and Columns

Finishing Touches

Make the column wider (same as Excel)

SPSS Syntax

Starts with a COMMAND, ends with a period.

COMMENTCOMMENT The following is for SPSS with Syntax.

OR

* The following Is for SPSS with Syntax.

**********************.**** Leave a Comment ***.

Transform Menu

Working with Variables

Compute

Goal: Make an index of topical happiness

Transform | Compute Variable…

New Variable Name:happy_score

Summary Function: MEAN

Avoiding Frequency Tables

Goal: Recode q76_1 into pets

Step 1: Descriptive Statistics on q76_1

Step 2: Plan new values

Recode

Other Pet

Dog

No Pet

1

2

3

Goal: Recode q76_1 into pets

Transform | Recode into Different Variables…

Recode

Labeling

Labeling with Syntax

Data| Define Variable Properties…

Variable Properties

Other Pet

Dog

No Pet

1

2

3

Data Menu

Working with Cases

Weighting# of people a case represents, accounts for the over‐ or under‐representation of a group

In “Readme PST 11‐05.txt”The WEIGHT variable is the weighting variable

Data | Weight Cases…Look for or Select:

Weight cases by: weight

Selecting [a Subset of] Cases

Goal: Do analysis on only those who have a pet.

Data | Select Cases…

ignored cases 0 or missing value

included casesevery other value

Filtering

Splitting a File for Comparison

Goal: Compare happiness among those with pets

Data | Split File…

Choose Compare groupsMove gender to box

Turn off Grouping

Add group as a factor for each analysis

Do analysis for one group, then for the other

Status Bar

Shows status of:

Filter

Split

andWeighting

Return to Normal

Turn off Grouping Turn off Filtering

Data | Select Cases…Data | Split File…

Finishing Up

DataSets

If there are ERRORSTry to Fix the 1st Error only

That is often the cause of the following errors

Actually read the error messageThey can be long, but are often informativeIt may offer suggestions

Use the message to identify the exact spotLook for the variable name or text given

More Troubleshootng

Are "Transformations Pending"? Changes to data require an EXECUTE.

Does the command end with a period?

Are there blank lines in the middle of a command?Blank lines act as periods

Are your variable names correct?

Do the variables have the values you expect?

Save Files

File | Save As…

Data File & Output File &Syntax File

To Exit, click “Yes”

Saving Output

Click and press theDelete Key

Questions

datahelp@gmu.edu

http://dataservices.gmu.edu

http://dataservices.gmu.edu/software/spss/

c b n a© 2015 by Debby Kermer,

Mason Library Data ServicesThis work is licensed under the c Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike International License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/