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2.6.1.1. SPSS: Frequency table

You can generate a frequency table in SPSS either by using the Frequency option under descriptive statistics, or the Custom tables option, or a descriptive statistics shortcut.

Via Descriptive statistics shortcut.

The basic steps are:

1. Right click on the variable title in the Data View, or the variable number in the Variable View
2. Click on Descriptive statistics.

Detailed instructions with screenshots can be found in this PDF, or you can watch the video on the right.

Via Frequency

To generate a frequency table using the Frequency option the basic steps are:

1. Click in the menubar on Analyze
2. Click on Descriptive Statistics
3. Click on Frequencies
4. Click on Reset
5. Move the variables of which you want to see a frequency table to the Variable(s): section
6. Check if Display frequency tables is ticked
7. Click on OK

Detailed instructions with screenshots can be found in this PDF, or you can watch the video on the right.

The output of Frequency is a frequency table as for example shown below.

Figure 1. Example Frequencies output SPSS 23 or earlier

Figure 2. Example Frequencies output SPSS 24

The frequencies shown are the absolute frequency (Frequency), relative frequency in percentages (Percent), the valid relative frequency in percentages (Valid Percent), and the cumulative relative frequency in percentages (Cumulative Percent). These were all discussed before.

Note that SPSS calculates the cumulative percent, even though the variable used is nominal and the cumulative percent does not have any meaningful interpretation. SPSS does not calculate frequency densities.

The Frequencies command is often used to generate a frequency table of all variables, so they can be quickly scanned to see if there might have been some typing errors during the data entry. It could be for example someone typed a 44 instead of a 4 in the data entry, in the example frequency table we would then see under Train a 44 which would be easily spotted.

Via Custom tables

To generate a frequency table using the Custom tables option the basic steps are:

1. Click in the menubar on Analyze
2. Click on Tables (or in version 23 on Custom Tables)
3. Click on Custom Tables
4. You might get a warning on value labels, click on OK
5. Drag the variable of which you want a frequency table to Rows
6. If you also want to show percentages:
   1. Click on Summary Statistics
   2. Select the percentages you want to see (often the Column Valid N%, and/or Column %)
   3. Move them to the Display section
   4. Click on Apply to Selection
   5. SPSS 24 only: click on Close
7. If you want the totals to be shown:
   1. Click on Categories and Totals
   2. Tick the Total option
   3. Click on Apply
8. Click on OK

Detailed instructions with screenshots can be found in this PDF for SPSS 23 or earlier, this PDF for SPSS 24, or you can watch the video on the right.

The output of Custom tables is a frequency table as for example shown below.

Figure 3. Example Custom tables output SPSS 23 or earlier

Unfortunately the custom tables option does not have a possibility to add the cumulative percentages.