Can you find the mean of categorical data?
1 Answer
Jun 23, 2018
No.
Explanation:
In categorical data, there are no numbers to find a mean from. For example, here's some made-up categorical data:
Blue eyes - 576
Brown eyes - 2,100
Hazel eyes - 345
Green eyes - 267
There is no way of finding a mean from this data because there isn't an "average" eye color. You can find the proportions, but not the mean.
A mean can only be found in a quantitative data set like so:
Tree height in feet - 5, 7, 3, 6, 10, 13, 15, 4
Mean = 7.875 feet
Hope this helps!
