In SPSS 25, I have a categorical variable which I would like to display in a frequency table. However, one of my categories was not selected by any of my respondents. I can generate a frequency distribution for this variable, but the unselected category is not included. How can I generate a frequency distribution table to show a zero count for this category?
You'll need to create a custom table:
Analyze > Tables > Custom Tables
Dear Hadil Dahia, I wouldn't "force" SPSS to print the table, including the zero frequency, given that you had no occurrences for the specific value of the variable. For large samples, this lack of observation can also be caused by sampling errors, which must be considered in future work.
Eva Tsouparopoulou I fail to see why including the full scale in a frequency table is problematic. In fact, it could be informative if, say, the empty level is towards the very bottom or top of the scale.
I'd also add that sampling error is only an issue if Hadil intends to draw inferences about the population from this sample, which is not the purpose of a frequency table.
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