Qualitative classification
Topic: Economic Data: Census, NSS, Surveys and Statistical Tools · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Organisation of Data"; Class 11, Ch 4 "Presentation of Data"; Class 11, Ch 8 "Use of Statistical Tools"
Meaning
Qualitative classification groups data by an attribute. An attribute is a quality that cannot be measured in numbers, such as gender, religion, literacy or marital status. Units are sorted by whether they have the attribute or not. The classes can be split again by a second attribute, and so on. This type of classification suits data that describe a kind or a quality, not a size.
Example
First classify a population as male or female. Then divide each group into married and unmarried. This gives four classes: married men, unmarried men, married women and unmarried women.
Don't confuse with
- Quantitative classification: this groups data by a measurable size, such as income or marks, into class intervals with numerical limits.
Related concepts
- Raw data
- Classification
- Chronological classification
- Spatial classification
- Quantitative classification
- Attribute
- Continuous variable
- Discrete variable
- Frequency
- Frequency distribution