Activity 17.2
Computing Chi Square Using SPSS

SPSS will calculate a chi square value for every crosstabulation analysis if you request it.

If needed, review Activities 14.3 and 14.4 to refresh your memory about how to do a crosstabulation and request measures of association using SPSS. When you click on the "Statistics" button that opens the window titled "Crosstabs: Statistics," one option (shown in the upper left-hand corner) with a box to check off is "Chi Square." When that box is checked, SPSS will calculate a chi square value for each crosstabulation you perform. To try this procedure, choose the 2000 General Social Survey data set (GSS2000depr) that accompanies this text (download / help downloading). Do a crosstabulation for the independent variable "conbus" (level of confidence in major companies) and the dependent variable "class" (subjective class identification), requesting the appropriate measure of association and the chi square value. What is the chi square value for this crosstabulation? Describe what this value means for the relationship between level of confidence in major companies and class identification.