Chi Square Interpretation

Examples of Presentations

• The following are examples of presentations of chi-square tables and their interpretations.

• These interpretations target a “non-academic” audience, and would be appropriate for presenting information to those not familiar with statistics.

• These examples assume presenters have time constraints, and audiences have limited knowledge about chi-square analysis. The interpretations are succinct and simplified.

• Please note: Slides are to be used only as simplified examples of how chi-square can be used and interpreted. The data is not valid or reliable.

Hypothesis

• People’s attitude towards sacrificing time with family for the sake of their job is contingent on their gender.

Measurement of Indicators

• Attitude towards sacrificing family for job was measured by asking respondents the extent to which they agreed that employees should expect to sacrifice time with their family for the sake of their job.

• Gender was measured by asking respondents to indicate if they were male or female.

Cross Tabulation - Acceptable to Sacrifice Time with Family For Job by Gender

Strongly StronglyGender Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Agree Total____________

Female 22.92 (11) 33.33 (16) 27.08 (13) 10.42 (5) 6.25 (3) 48.00 (48)

Male 1.92 (1) 26.92 (14) 23.08 (12) 46.15 (24) 1.92 (1) 52.00 (52)

Total 12.00 (12) 30.00 (30) 25.00 (25) 29.00 (29) 4.00 (4) 100.00 (100)

Chi Square 21.83****p>.001 _____________________________________________ .Note: Number in parentheses are frequency of agreement in each category

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

Per

cen

t R

esp

on

se w

as G

iven

Response

Female Male

Response to statement: It is acceptable to sacrifice time with your family for your job

Conclusions

• With a chi square of 21.83 and a probability of less than .001, we can conclude that there is a relationship between gender and attitudes toward family and work.

• Men are more than 4 times as likely to agree, and females are more than 11 times as likely to disagree that it is okay to sacrifice time with family for work.

Constructed by Tandi McBrideConstructed by Tandi McBride

Modified by Dr. Carol AlbrechtModified by Dr. Carol Albrecht

Texas A&M Students’ Texas A&M Students’ Attitudes on The Death Attitudes on The Death

PenaltyPenalty

Chi Square HypothesisChi Square Hypothesis

The extent to which respondents felt The extent to which respondents felt the legal system is fair is contingent on the legal system is fair is contingent on their political affiliation.their political affiliation.

Students who are politically Students who are politically conservative are more likely to perceive conservative are more likely to perceive the legal system as “fair” compared to the legal system as “fair” compared to students who are not politically students who are not politically conservative.conservative.

Chi Square TableChi Square Table

Table 3. Cross Tabulation of Perception of Legal System by Political Ideology____________________________________________________________________________

The Legal System is Fair Political Strongly Strongly

Ideology Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Agree

Total_______________________________________________________________________________ Conservative 5.17 (5) 18.97 (11) 32.76 (19) 39.66(23) 3.45(2) 60 Not Conservative 18.33 (11) 38.33 (23) 25.00 (15) 18.33 (11) 0.00 (0) 60

Total 11.86 (14) 28.81 (34) 28.81 (34) 28.81 (34) 1.69 (2) 120____________________________________________________________________________________

Chi Square 15.48** *p< 0.05**p<0.01

ConclusionsConclusions

• With a chi square of 15.48 and a probability With a chi square of 15.48 and a probability of less than .001, we can conclude that of less than .001, we can conclude that there is a relationship between political there is a relationship between political ideology and attitudes toward the legal ideology and attitudes toward the legal systemsystem

• Conservatives are more than twice as likely Conservatives are more than twice as likely to agree that the legal system is fair, and to agree that the legal system is fair, and non-conservatives are more than twice as non-conservatives are more than twice as likely to disagree. likely to disagree.

Purpose: To evaluate students’ attitudes

towards physical appearance

Constructed by Natalie SchünModified by Dr. Carol Albrecht

Chi Square Table:Chi Square Table:

Table 1: Cross Tabulations of Gender by Amount of Time Spent

Getting Ready for a Date

Time Spent Getting Ready for a Date

Gender 30 Minutes or Less Greater than 30 Minutes Total

Female 18.18 (10) 81.82 (45) 55

Male 76.19 (32) 23.81 (10) 42

Total 43.30 (42) 56.70 (55)

Chi-Square 32.64***

***p < .0001

Note: Number in parentheses are frequency in each category.

Chi Square: Hypothesis Chi Square: Hypothesis

Whether or not respondents take more than 30 minutes getting ready for a date is contingent on their gender.

Chart 1: Amount of time students take to get

ready for a date by gender

0102030405060708090

30 minutes orless

Greater than30 minutes

Female

Male

Chi Square AnalysisChi Square Analysis

• With a Chi-Square statistic of 32.64, I can reject the null hypothesis at .05 level with a probability of less than .0001. This allows me to state that the amount of time spent getting ready for a date is dependent on gender.

By: Leesa PettusBy: Leesa Pettus

Modified: Carol AlbrechtModified: Carol Albrecht

Attitudes About the War in IraqAttitudes About the War in Iraq

Chi Square HypothesisChi Square Hypothesis

Students’ attitudes regarding what Students’ attitudes regarding what they believe the war in Iraq has they believe the war in Iraq has accomplished is contingent upon accomplished is contingent upon whether or not they are whether or not they are conservative.conservative.

Chi Square MethodologyChi Square MethodologyMeasurement of IndicatorsMeasurement of Indicators

Political IdeologyPolitical Ideology

– Respondents were asked to rank their political ideology Respondents were asked to rank their political ideology from very conservative to very liberal.from very conservative to very liberal.

– Categories were then collapsed into conservative and Categories were then collapsed into conservative and not conservativenot conservative

Attitudes TAttitudes Toward Iraq Waroward Iraq War

– Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed that the Iraq War had accomplished nothing they agreed that the Iraq War had accomplished nothing

Chi Square TableChi Square TableTable 1. Cross Tabulations of Political Ideology by Table 1. Cross Tabulations of Political Ideology by

Belief that the War in Iraq Has Accomplished Nothing.Belief that the War in Iraq Has Accomplished Nothing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Believe That the War in Iraq Has Accomplished NothingBelieve That the War in Iraq Has Accomplished Nothing

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Political Ideology Strongly Political Ideology Strongly Strongly Strongly

Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Agree Total Total

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conservative Conservative 58.82 (20)58.82 (20) 35.29 (12) 5.88 (2) 0.00 (0) 0.00 (0) 35.29 (12) 5.88 (2) 0.00 (0) 0.00 (0) 34 34

Not Not

Conservative Conservative 18.18 (12)18.18 (12) 25.76 (17) 28.79 (19) 12.12 (8) 15.15 (10) 25.76 (17) 28.79 (19) 12.12 (8) 15.15 (10) 66 66

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total 32.00 (32) 29.00 (29) 21.00 (21) 8.00 (8) 10.00 (10) Total 32.00 (32) 29.00 (29) 21.00 (21) 8.00 (8) 10.00 (10) (100) (100)

Chi Square 27.17***Chi Square 27.17*** ***p<.0001***p<.0001

Chi Square AnalysisChi Square Analysis My chi square statistic is significant and has a probability of My chi square statistic is significant and has a probability of

<.0001, therefore, I can reject the null hypothesis.<.0001, therefore, I can reject the null hypothesis.

Conservatives are almost three times more likely than non-Conservatives are almost three times more likely than non-

conservatives to strongly disagree that the war in Iraq has conservatives to strongly disagree that the war in Iraq has accomplished nothing. accomplished nothing.

None of the conservatives either agreed or strongly agreed None of the conservatives either agreed or strongly agreed that the War in Iraq has accomplished nothing.that the War in Iraq has accomplished nothing.

More than a quarter of the non-conservatives (27.27%)More than a quarter of the non-conservatives (27.27%)

either agreed or strongly agreed that the War in Iraq either agreed or strongly agreed that the War in Iraq

accomplished nothing.accomplished nothing.

Factors Influencing High School Students’ Perception of Current and Future Education

Constructed By: Lorena GarciaModified by Carol Albrecht

Hypothesis• What inspires high school students to be successful in school

is contingent on the respondent’s race.

Measurement of Indicators• Race

• Students were asked to circle their racial classification given a fairly large number of possibilities including “other (specify)”

• Inspiration• Students were asked what inspired or motivated them to be

successful in school• Answers were recorded and categorized into the following:

• Family (i.e. siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, etc.)• Future education (i.e. going to college or other post high school education)• Current Accomplishments (i.e. membership in honor society, etc.)• Fear (i.e. parents would punish them if they did not do well, etc.)• Nothing (i.e. they were not currently motivated to do well)

Cross Tabulations of Race by What Inspires High School Student’s to be Successful

Student’s Inspirations

Race Family Future Current Fear/ Total Education Accomplishments Nothing__________________________________________________________________________________________

White 24.52 (38) 19.35 (30) 47.74 (74) 8.39 (13) 100

AfricanAmerican 34.18 (27) 6.33 (5) 34.18 (27) 25.32 (20) 100

MexicanAmerican 43.24 (32) 2.70 (2) 33.78 (25) 20.27 (15) 100

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Total 31.49 (97) 12.01 (37) 40.91 (126) 15.58 (48) (308)

Chi Square 34.80******p<.0001

Note: Number in parenthesis are frequency of response in each category

In Conclusion…• For my Chi Square analysis, I was able to reject my null

hypothesis (with an chi-square statistic of 34.80 and a p<.001), thus providing support that race does have an impact on what inspires high school students to be successful.

• White students are almost nine times more likely than Mexican Americans and three times more likely than African Americans to indicate that future education inspires them.

• African Americans and Mexican Americans are much more likely to indicate that fear or nothing inspires them than White Americans.

Texas A&M Students’ Texas A&M Students’ Attitudes Towards the Attitudes Towards the

Legalization of Legalization of MarijuanaMarijuana

Constructed by Chelsea Moore

Modified by Dr. Carol Albrecht

HypothesisHypothesis

The level of agreement to the The level of agreement to the statement, “Marijuana should remain statement, “Marijuana should remain illegal” is contingent on the students’ illegal” is contingent on the students’ political views. political views.

Measurement of IndicatorsMeasurement of Indicators

Students were asked to indicate their Students were asked to indicate their level of agreement to the statement, level of agreement to the statement, “Marijuana should remain illegal”.“Marijuana should remain illegal”.

Political views were measured by asking Political views were measured by asking students to rank themselves from very students to rank themselves from very conservative to very liberal. Answers conservative to very liberal. Answers were collapsed into two categories (e.g., were collapsed into two categories (e.g., non-conservative and conservative).non-conservative and conservative).

Chi SquareChi SquareTable 1. Cross Tabulations of Political Views by Support of Keeping Marijuana Illegal

Support of Keeping Marijuana Illegal

Political Views Strongly Disagree

Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly Agree

Total

Non-conservative 24.49 (12) 12.24 (6) 28.57 (14) 14.29 (7) 20.41 (10) 100.00 (49)

Conservative 4.26 (2) 10.64 (5) 14.89 (7) 27.66 (13) 42.55 (20) 100.00 (47)

Total 14.58 (14) 11.46 (11) 21.88 (21) 20.83 (20) 31.25 (30) 100.00 (96)

Chi-square*** p<0.001

14.67***

Chi SquareChi Square

The chi square statistic is 14.67 and The chi square statistic is 14.67 and the probability is less than 0.001, so the probability is less than 0.001, so we can reject the null hypothesis.we can reject the null hypothesis.

Conservatives were twice as likely to Conservatives were twice as likely to strongly agree, and non-strongly agree, and non-conservatives were almost six times conservatives were almost six times as likely to strongly disagree. as likely to strongly disagree.