Listing out the frequency distributions for multiple variables

[nick garza]

Hello!

Quick question - I have data from a survey where participants can select multiple options for race. It comes across in our dataset as multiple yes/no (1/0) variables for each race category. I am trying to collapse them - but first I want to look at how these are distributed throughout the dataset. I am familiar with how to do this is SAS. It would be something like this:

proc freq data=have;
table var1*var2*var3*var4*var5/list missing; run;

I also use this a lot to check to make sure my newly created variables are correct. How can I replicate a similar output in STATA?

Thanks!

[Clyde Schechter]

While there are some Forum members who also use SAS, I would guess they are a minority. It would have been more helpful to mock up an example of the kind of output you want.

Since I can't imagine how SAS or any other software would produce a 5 dimensional cross-tabulation, I'm guessing that what you're looking for is some tabulation of all 243 possible combinations of yes/no/missing responses in your data set. You can get that in Stata with:

contract var1 var2 var3 var4 var5, zero

for bare-bones output. Read -help contract- for information about options that add on to that. Since there will be 243 combinations, listing them out is possible (-list, noobs clean-), but probably less helpful than just viewing the results in the data Browser.

[Nick Cox]

I have never used SAS and don't know what kind of output you seek, but groups (Stata Journal) may help.

https://www.statalist.org/forums/for...updated-on-ssc gives a quick overview.

. search st0496, entry

Search of official help files, FAQs, Examples, and Stata Journals

SJ-18-1 st0496_1  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Software update for groups
        (help groups if installed)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  N. J. Cox
        Q1/18   SJ 18(1):291
        groups exited with an error message if weights were specified;
        this has been corrected

SJ-17-3 st0496  . . . . .  Speaking Stata: Tables as lists: The groups command
        (help groups if installed)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  N. J. Cox
        Q3/17   SJ 17(3):760--773
        presents command for listing group frequencies and percents and
        cumulations thereof; for various subsetting and ordering by
        frequencies, percents, and so on; for reordering of columns;
        and for saving tabulated data to new datasets