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Data Variables

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12 views3 pages

Data Variables

Uploaded by

Gaurav Singh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Nominal Scale

A nominal scale is the 1st level of measurement scale in which the numbers serve as “tags” or “labels” to classify
or identify the objects. A nominal scale usually deals with the non-numeric variables or the numbers that do not
have any value.
Nominal scale measurements are used for identifying food habits (vegetarian or non-vegetarian), gender
(male/female), caste, respondents, brands, attributes, stores, the players of a hockey team and so on.

Characteristics of Nominal Scale


 A nominal scale variable is classified into two or more categories. In this measurement mechanism, the answer
should fall into either of the classes.
 It is qualitative. The numbers are used here to identify the objects.
 The numbers don’t define the object characteristics. The only permissible aspect of numbers in the nominal scale is
“counting.”
Example:
An example of a nominal scale measurement is given below:
What is your gender?
M- Male, F- Female
Here, the variables are used as tags, and the answer to this question should be either M or F.

In which of the following departments do you work?


(a) Marketing, (b) HR, (c) Information Technology, (d) Operations, (e) Finance and Accounting, (f) Any other, (please
specify)

What is your religion?


(a) Hinduism, (b) Sikhism, (c) Christianity, (d) Islam, (e) Any other, (please specify)

Ordinal Scale
The ordinal scale is the 2nd level of measurement that reports the ordering and ranking of data without establishing the
degree of variation between them. Ordinal represents the “order.” Ordinal data is known as qualitative data or categorical
data. It can be grouped, named and also ranked.

However, it cannot answer how much more or how much less. An ordinal scale tells us the relative positions of the objects
and not the difference between the magnitudes of the objects. Suppose Shashi scores the highest marks in marketing and is
ranked no. 1; Mohan scores the second highest marks and is ranked no. 2; and Krishna scores third highest marks and is
ranked no. 3.
Characteristics of the Ordinal Scale
 The ordinal scale shows the relative ranking of the variables
 It identifies and describes the magnitude of a variable
 Along with the information provided by the nominal scale, ordinal scales give the rankings of those variables
 The interval properties are not known
 The surveyors can quickly analyse the degree of agreement concerning the identified order of variables
Example:
 Ranking of school students – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.
 Ratings in restaurants
 Evaluating the frequency of occurrences
 Very often
 Often
 Not often
 Not at all

Interval Scale
The interval scale is the 3rd level of measurement scale. It is defined as a quantitative measurement scale in which the
difference between the two variables is meaningful. In other words, the variables are measured in an exact manner, not as
in a relative way in which the presence of zero is arbitrary.
Characteristics of Interval Scale:
 The interval scale is quantitative as it can quantify the difference between the values
 It allows calculating the mean and median of the variables
 To understand the difference between the variables, you can subtract the values between the variables
 The interval scale is the preferred scale in Statistics as it helps to assign any numerical values to arbitrary
assessment such as feelings, calendar types, etc.
Example:
 Likert Scale
 Net Promoter Score (NPS)
 Bipolar Matrix Table

The numbers on this scale can be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided. One can compute arithmetic mean, standard
deviation, correlation coefficient and conduct a t-test, Z-test, regression analysis and factor analysis. As the interval scale
data can be converted into the ordinal and the nominal scale data, therefore all the techniques applicable for the ordinal and
the nominal scale data can also be used for interval scale data.

Ratio Scale
The ratio scale is the 4th level of measurement scale, which is quantitative. It is a type of variable measurement scale. It
allows researchers to compare the differences or intervals. The ratio scale has a unique feature. It possesses the character of
the origin or zero points.

Characteristics of Ratio Scale:


 Ratio scale has a feature of absolute zero
 It doesn’t have negative numbers, because of its zero-point feature
 It affords unique opportunities for statistical analysis. The variables can be orderly added, subtracted, multiplied,
divided. Mean, median, and mode can be calculated using the ratio scale.
 Ratio scale has unique and useful properties. One such feature is that it allows unit conversions like kilogram –
calories, gram – calories, etc.
Example:
An example of a ratio scale is:
What is your weight in Kgs?
 Less than 55 kgs
 55 – 75 kgs
 76 – 85 kgs
 86 – 95 kgs
 More than 95 kgs

• How many chemist shops are there in your locality?


• How many students are there in the MBA programme at IIFT?
• How much distance do you need to travel from your residence to reach the railway station?

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