Title: Frequency tables
Course: UGQuants (SSPS) > Section: Univariate Analysis

Frequency tables

The table below shows an example of a frequency table of people’s preference for the future government of Scotland in the 2010 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. Below the table, we review the various elements of it and also reflect on what it tells us about ‘good table manners’: not how well-behaved you are at dinner, but, in statistical terms, the kind of information we should present in a table of data and how we should present it.

Preference for future government of Scotland

Source: Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, 2010

The elements of the table are as follows:

- Title: a table should always be titled to explain the data it contains. Numbering tables is also helpful: this makes it easier to refer to a table in any accompanying text, or for the reader to locate the table e.g. in a report or other document.
- The table is composed of (vertical) columns, (horizontal) rows, and cells (boxes)
- Source: it is generally good practice to state the source of the data below each table, unless e.g. a previous statement has made this clear.

To learn how to create a frequency table in SPSS watch the video below