Nominal data, also known as nominal scale, is a type of data used to label variables without providing any quantitative value
. It is the simplest form of a scale of measure and is used in statistics to group variables into categories that do not overlap
. Nominal data is qualitative and can be both categorical and quantitative, although the quantitative labels lack a numerical value or relationship
. Examples of nominal data include names of people, gender, nationality, and preferred mode of transportation
. The main characteristics of nominal data are:
- Nominal data is categorical, with the categories being mutually exclusive without any overlap
- The categories of nominal data are purely descriptive, meaning they are used to describe and label variables without providing any quantitative information
- Nominal data cannot be ordered or measured, and it does not have equal spacing between values or a true zero value
Nominal data can be collected through open- or closed-ended survey questions, depending on the number of possible labels for the variable of interest
. It is the foundation of statistical analysis and all other mathematical sciences, and it can be analyzed using advanced statistical methods
