CompTIA Data+ (DA0-002)Data AnalysisEasy
A data analyst is working with a dataset of customer survey responses where customers rated their satisfaction on a scale of 'Very Dissatisfied', 'Dissatisfied', 'Neutral', 'Satisfied', and 'Very Satisfied'. The analyst needs to calculate a measure of central tendency that is appropriate for this type of data. Which measure should be used?
- AMean
- BMedian
- CRange
- DMode
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Median
The data described is ordinal, meaning it has a natural order but the differences between categories are not necessarily equal or quantifiable. For ordinal data, the median is the most appropriate measure of central tendency because it represents the middle value when data is ordered, and it doesn't assume equal intervals between categories like the mean does.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The mean is only appropriate for interval or ratio data, not ordinal data.
- C. The range is a measure of dispersion, not central tendency.
- D. The mode can be used for ordinal data, but the median provides more information about the center of the distribution.
Median for Ordinal Data
The median is the most appropriate measure of central tendency for ordinal data, as it represents the middle value in an ordered dataset and does not assume equal intervals between categories.
- Suitable for data with a natural order but unequal intervals.
- Less sensitive to outliers than the mean.
- Represents the 50th percentile of the data.
Memory trick: Ordinal data is like a ranked list, and the Median is the perfect middle of that list.