Preparing ICPSR Data for Use with SPSS
(by Özlem Elgün)

Most of the time, the datasets that the ICPSR makes available for download need at least some processing from users before they are in an electronic format that is usable with statistical packages. Fortunately for SPSS users, most of the ICPSR's holdings have either syntax files to read the raw data into SPSS or SPSS "portable files" that can be imported directly into SPSS. And, even if SPSS is not your preferred statistical package, SPSS data files can also be converted into other formats using StatTransfer very easily. [If SAS is your stats package of choice, you can read how to get ICPSR data directly into SAS here.]

This tutorial is designed for users who want to use ICPSR data in SPSS. For the purposes of this guide, we will be using ICPSR #4262 as an example. The title of this study is Afrobarometer: Round I Survey of Malawi, November-December 1999. The tutorial is in two sections - one is for working with SPSS syntax files to read raw ASCII data into SPSS, while the other is for working with SPSS portable files.

Converting ICPSR Data in ASCII Format into SPSS Data Files

Importing ICPSR SPSS Portable Files into SPSS Data Files

This guide is not an exhaustive review of how to get data from the ICPSR into SPSS. It is more a general introduction using a relatively representative ICPSR study as an example. As you work with more ICPSR data files, you will encounter a fair amount of variation in the SPSS syntax files, since many studies in the ICPSR's archive have syntax files written for earlier versions of the program. If you want additional assistance, please feel free to contact the Data Center staff.

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