Glossary

A representation of a characteristic for one case. For one variable, values may vary from one case to another. E.g. for the variable ‘gender’ the values may be ‘male’, ‘female’ or ‘other’.

A description of the values a variable can take on. Sometimes nominal values are coded as numbers and the label helps to describe what each of these numbers means. E.g. for the variable ‘gender’ the values may be:

1. female
2. male
3. other

A variable is an attribute that describes a person, place, thing, or idea. The value of the variable can “vary” from one entity to another. In surveys, this is usually a characteristic that varies between cases.

Source: Stat Trek Statistics Dictionary.