Unit 1 · Find your way around
How to run Frequencies in SPSS
Run a frequency table in SPSS step by step and learn to read Frequency, Percent, Valid Percent and Cumulative Percent.
Free lessonAbout 5 minutes4 practice questions
Finding Frequencies
Frequencies counts how many people gave each answer. It's usually the first thing you run on a new data set, to check for typos and see your sample.
survey.sav [DataSet1] – SPSS Statistics Data Editor
FileEditViewDataTransformAnalyze1GraphsUtilitiesExtensionsWindowHelp
| id | gender | age | score | var | var | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 72 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 65 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 88 | ||
| 4 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 54 | ||
| 5 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 79 | ||
| 6 | 6 | 1 | 45 | 61 | ||
| 7 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 70 |
- Reports›
- Descriptive Statistics2›
- Bayesian Statistics›
- Tables›
- Compare Means›
- General Linear Model›
- Correlate›
- Regression›
- Nonparametric Tests›
- Frequencies…3
- Descriptives…
- Explore…
- Crosstabs…
- Ratio…
- P-P Plots…
- Q-Q Plots…
Data ViewVariable View
- 1AnalyzeClick Analyze in the menu bar. Almost every statistical test lives here.
- 2Descriptive StatisticsHover over it to open the submenu.
- 3Frequencies…Click it. The three dots mean a dialog box will open.
The Frequencies dialog
Most SPSS dialogs work the same way: pick variables on the left, move them right, choose extras with the buttons, then press OK.
Frequencies
Variables1
Participant ID [id]
Age in years [age]
Exam score (%) [score]
▶2
Variable(s):3
Gender [gender]
Statistics…4Charts…5Format…Style…Bootstrap…
✓Display frequency tables
OKPaste6ResetCancelHelp
- 1Variable listEvery variable in your file, shown by its label with the name in brackets. Click one to select it.
- 2Arrow buttonMoves the selected variable into the box on the right. You can also drag it or double-click it.
- 3Variable(s) boxEach variable here gets its own frequency table.
- 4Statistics…Adds the mean, median, mode, quartiles, skewness and more.
- 5Charts…Adds a bar chart (for categories) or a histogram (for Scale data).
- 6OK and PasteOK runs the analysis. Paste writes the matching syntax into a Syntax Editor instead, so you can save it and rerun it later.
Reading the output
Results open in a separate window called the Output Viewer. Each procedure adds its tables to the end.
Output1 [Document1] – SPSS Statistics Viewer
FileEditViewDataTransformAnalyzeGraphsUtilitiesExtensionsWindowHelp
Output1
Log
Frequencies
Title
Notes
Statistics
gender
gender
| Frequency2 | Percent3 | Valid Percent4 | Cumulative Percent5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valid | Male | 40 | 40.0 | 42.1 | 42.1 |
| Female | 55 | 55.0 | 57.9 | 100.0 | |
| Total | 95 | 95.0 | 100.0 | ||
| Missing6 | System | 5 | 5.0 | ||
| Total | 100 | 100.0 |
- 1OutlineClick any item to jump to that table. Right-click to delete tables you don't need.
- 2FrequencyHow many people are in each category.
- 3PercentOut of everyone in the file, including people who skipped the question.
- 4Valid PercentOut of the people who answered. This is usually the one to report.
- 5Cumulative PercentA running total of Valid Percent. Useful for ordinal data, for example "68% rated 3 or lower".
- 6MissingCases with no value. Here 5 people didn't answer, which is why Percent and Valid Percent differ.
Practise it yourself
Reading is only half of it. The lesson has 4 quick questions where you tap through the SPSS menus, read the output and choose the right write-up, with instant feedback on every answer.