SPSS and surveys

Chris CarrollResearch Associate

ScHARR, University of Sheffield

Module Tutor: Analysis of Health Information, MSc in Health Informatics, Dept. of Information Studies,

University of Sheffield

SPSS

• This presentation offers a brief introduction to the SPSS for Windows, including:

– Introduction and what is good about SPSS– Viewing and manipulating data– Generating graphs and data tables– Some references

Introduction

• SPSS is a software package used for:

– conducting statistical analyses– manipulating data– generating tables and graphs that summarize

data

Introduction

• SPSS analyses quantitative, that is, numeric data

• Survey data must be numeric or converted to numeric values for analysis in SPSS

• Numbers can be assigned to qualitative survey responses, for example, Agree=1, Unsure=2, Disagree=3

What is good about SPSS?

• Easy-to-use pull-down menus, like Microsoft XP/Office

• Users do not need to know complex statistical equations to use SPSS

• SPSS is like a calculator: users enter the numbers and select the tasks, and the software does the rest

What is good about SPSS?

• Results are clearly presented• Tables and graphs can be copied directly

from SPSS into Word files

Viewing survey data

• When SPSS opens a data file it displays it in the Data Editor

• The Data Editor allows you to view, add, delete, manipulate and analyse data using the commands available through drop-down menus and sub-menus

Viewing data: Variable View

Viewing data: Data View

Graphs and tables

• It is possible to produce basic descriptive statistics for your survey data in the form of both graphs and frequency tables

• The results appear in the Output View of SPSS

Graphs and tables

• Example SPSS bar chart

Long loanShort loan

ReferenceNewspapers / magazines

Library collection

0

100

200

300

400

500

Library collection

Graphs and tables

• Example SPSS pie chart Long loan

Short loanRefernceNewspapers / magazinesdMissing

Library collection

Graphs and tables

• Example SPSS frequency tables

Statistics

Marital Status(1985)1034

82.032.00

11.013

ValidMissing

N

MeanMedianModeStd. Deviation

Library Collection

485 46.5 46.9 46.962 6.0 6.0 52.9

457 43.9 44.2 97.130 2.9 2.9 100.0

1034 99.2 100.08 .8

1042 100.0

Long loanShort loanReferenceNewspapers / magazinesTotal

Valid

SystemMissingTotal

Frequency Percent Valid PercentCumulative

Percent

Librarianship, surveys and SPSS

• Many information / librarianship studies use SPSS to analyse survey data. Some recent examples:

– Auster E. & McDiarmid M. (2005). Using volunteers in Ontario hospital libraries: views of library managers. Journal of the Medical Library Association. 93 (2), 253-62.

– Rice DM. & Starner ME. (2004). Surveying the stacks collecting data and analyzing results with SPSS. Library Resources and Technical Services. 48 (4), 263-72.

– Cardina C. & Wicks D. (2004). The changing roles of academic reference librarians over a ten-year period. Reference & User Services Quarterly. 44 (2), 133-42.

References

• Swinscow TDV. (1997). Statistics at Square One. 9th edition. BMJ. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/collections/statsbk/index.shtml (Accessed 10 May 2006)

• Driscoll P. et al (2000). An introduction to everyday statistics—1. Journal of Accident and Emergency Medicine, 17 (3), 205-211. http://emj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/17/3/205-a (Accessed 10 May 2006)