REASON FOR USING FREQUENCY AND PERCENTAGE TO ANALYSE CATEGORICAL DATA

Abstract

Categorical data consist of information that can be classified into distinct groups, such as gender, marital status, occupation, educational level, and responses to survey questions. Frequency and percentage are commonly used descriptive statistical methods for analysing and presenting such data. Frequency indicates the number of observations in each category, while percentage shows the proportion of observations represented by each category. This article examines the reasons for using frequency and percentage to analyse categorical data. It discusses their suitability for categorical variables, their ability to simplify data, facilitate comparison, reveal patterns, support further analysis, and communicate research findings clearly. The article also highlights important considerations when presenting and interpreting categorical data.