Purpose of Frequencies
To tabulate the number of times each value of a variable occurs. A "frequency analysis" shows the distribution of responses to a variable. It is a way to summarize data and is referred to as a descriptive statistic. FREQUENCIES displays the results in an easy-to-read table. It also provides percentages and statistics (measures of central tendency and dispersion).
When to use FREQUENCIES
1. FREQUENCIES can be used to list out the values of each variable -- this in turn can help to identify "bad" values (erroneous codes). Often, a frequency analysis of all variables in the data file is done as part of the "data cleaning" process.
2. The procedure is used to describe and summarize the distribution of responses. Sometimes, this is all the user wishes to do with the data.
3. Frequency analyses help you to "see" the data -- know the distribution of responses. You can then rule out the use of some variables due to their distributions, others may be recoded, combined, etc.
