Setting Values and Labels in IBM SPSS Statistics

To improve your experience using IBM SPSS Statistics, the Version 1 SPSS experts have created various Tech Tips. This Tech Tip looks at setting values and labels in IBM SPSS Statistics.   

In IBM SPSS Statistics, you can work inside a single, integrated interface to run descriptive statistics, regression, advanced statistics and machine learning models. You can create publication-ready charts, tables, and decision trees in one tool. IBM SPSS Statistics is easy to use, provides analysis automation, comprehensive statistical tools, integration with open source, and help at your fingertips. 

To make working in IBM SPSS Statistics easier, users can set whether they see variable names or labels in dialogue boxes. A variable name is a short name such as ‘Income’ or ‘Spend’. A variable label is the description of the short variable name. For example, a variable can have a short name, ‘HEALTH’, and its label is the question, ‘In general, how is your health?’. 

When working in a dialogue box, users can switch between the short names and longer labels by right-clicking on a variable and selecting Display Variable Names (HEALTH) or Display Variable Labels (‘In general, how is your health?’). Users can toggle back and forth between Names and Labels. 

To set values or labels in dialogue boxes, go to the Edit menu and select Options. On the General tab, there is the Variable Lists section where users can select Display labels or Display names. Users can choose whether variables are shown in Alphabetical, File or Measurement level order. Click OK to set choices. A message will appear: ‘Changing any option in the Variable List group will reset all dialogue box settings to their defaults, and all open dialogues will be closed.’ Click OK to continue. Now, you have set how your variables will appear in dialogue boxes.