Descriptive Statistics in SPSS

SPSS is one of the most widely used programs for statistical data analysis. One of its basic functions is calculating descriptive statistics to analyze measures of central tendency and dispersion. In this article, I’ll show you how to calculate the mean, median, standard deviation, and other statistics in SPSS.

Calculate descriptive statistics

Method 1: Using “Descriptive Statistics”

1. Open your dataset in SPSS.
2. Go to Analyze → Descriptive Statistics → Descriptives.
3. Select the variables for which you want to calculate statistics.
4. Click Options and select the desired measures (e.g., mean, median, standard deviation).
5. Confirm with OK – the results will appear in the output window.

Method 2: Using “Explore”

1. Go to Analyze → Descriptive Statistics → Explore.
2. Move the variables of interest to the Dependent List field.
3. Click Statistics and activate, among other things, the mean, median, skewness, and kurtosis.
4. Confirm with OK to obtain the results.

Method 3: Using “Frequencies” for the Median and Mode

1. Go to Analyze → Descriptive Statistics → Frequencies.
2. Select the variable and activate Statistics.
3. Check Median and Mode.
4. Confirm with OK.

SPSS Syntax for Descriptive Statistics

If you prefer working with syntax, you can use the following commands:

DESCRIPTIVES VARIABLES=Variable1 Variable2

  /STATISTICS=MEAN MEDIAN STDDEV MIN MAX.

EXAMINE VARIABLES=Variable1

  /STATISTICS=DESCRIPTIVES.

These commands quickly provide the most important statistics.

Interpreting the SPSS Output

After the calculation, you will see a table with the statistics for each variable. Pay attention to the following:

• Mean indicates the average.
• Median is the central value.
• Standard deviation shows the dispersion.
• Minimum and maximum help identify extreme values.