SPSS is an easy-to-use and powerful data management and analysis software package that performs a wide variety of statistical procedures. The original acronym stands for ‘Statistical Package for the Social Sciences’. SPSS runs on Windows, Macintosh and UNIX platforms.
SPSS provides a comprehensive set of flexible tools that can be used to accomplish various data analysis tasks and has the option of using drop-down menus or scripting. It is well-suited to accommodate different exploration strategies such as surveys and experiments in diverse fields of enquiry. SPSS is among the used for statistical analysis in business, government, health, education, research and academic organisations.
SPSS vs Stata: Which is right for you?
SPSS is similar to Stata in that you can either use drop-down menus or use coding to do analysis. SPSS deals better with very large datasets but is more expensive than Stata. Stata generally has better support available from various sources such as the statalist forum, documentation online and built-in help. You can request a license and instructions on how to download and install SPSS by emailing tech.support@lse.ac.uk.
SPSS vs R or Python
SPSS is easier to learn than R and Python, providing easier access to running some types of analysis. It is still a popular choice in the social sciences, but R and Python are catching up. R and Python are open-source and freely available, whereas SPSS needs a licence, which can be expensive. R and Python are better options for data visualisation and machine learning but you will have to learn to code in order to fully utilise them.
We also have workshops and self-study courses in Stata, Python and R. See below if you're not sure which is right for you.
SPSS fundamentals workshop series
The Digital Skills Lab is currently running a 4-part SPSS fundamentals workshop series. Workshops will run throughout the year. Click on the link below to book your place or express an interest so that you are notified as soon as workshops are available to book.
Workshops will take place on campus in LRB.R.08 on the lower ground floor of the Library.
The SPSS fundamentals workshop series teaches you the basics of using SPSS for statistical analysis. At the end of this SPSS series, you will be able to import, manage, and explore data in SPSS, as well as perform various statistical tests. Our SPSS Fundamentals workshop series is ideal for those with no or very little prior experience of using SPSS, or those looking for a refresher.
Click on the link below to check availability and book your place:
SPSS Fundamentals Workshop Series
Get started with the SPSS interface and how to use it as a data management tool for your analysis. We will be loading in datasets, making and recoding variables and other pre-analysis steps.
You will learn how to:
- Work with the SPSS interface
- Import data from csv and Excel files
- Process imported datasets
- Recode variables
- Compute new variables
Learn how to explore your data pre-analysis in SPSS. We will be running descriptive statistics and making data visualisations to review and explore our data.
You will learn how to:
- Explore categorical variables with frequencies and bar charts
- Explore continuous variables with descriptive statistics and box plots
- Explore two continuous variables with correlations and scatterplots
Learn how to get started with inferential statistics in SPSS. We will be performing some fundamental statistical tests including chi-square, t-tests, and ANOVAs. You will also try and form some of your own ideas and hypothesis from data, and use that to understand the statistical outputs.
You will learn how to:
- How to perform cross-tabulation and chi-squared tests
- How to perform different types of t-tests
- How to perform different types of ANOVAs
Learn how to run linear regressions in SPSS and how to interpret the results. You will also try and form some of your own ideas and hypothesis from data, and use that to understand the statistical outputs.
You will learn how to:
- How to perform and interpret simple linear regression
- How to perform and interpret multiple linear regression
Other support
The Department of Methodology also has some online tutorials in SPSS that were produced in 2011 that students have found useful along with a YouTube training channel. The Department of Methodology also provides training for PhD and MSc students as well as staff in the design of social research and in qualitative and quantitative analysis. Information on this can be found on their Methods training page.