Question

Identify whether the variable is categorical or numerical. The possible observations of a variable are 0 and 1, where 0 stands for single and 1 stands for married. Choose the correct answer below.

a. Numerical because a numerical variable consists of names or labels of groups of individuals.
b. Numerical because a numerical variable consists of measurable quantities that describe individuals.
c. Categorical because a categorical variable consists of measurable quantities that describe individuals.
d. Categorical because a categorical variable consists of names or labels of groups of individuals.

Answer 1

The variable that uses 0 to represent 'single' and 1 for 'married' is a categorical variable because those numbers serve as labels for categories rather than quantities.

Step-by-step explanation:

The variable in question, which takes on values of 0 and 1 to indicate an individual's marital status-being single or married, respectively-is a categorical variable.

This is because the numbers are used as labels to denote membership in a category, rather than numerical values representing measurable quantities. Indeed, in this context, the numerical aspect of data is not relevant-it doesn't make sense, for example, to find an average between 'single' and 'married'.

The correct response to the student’s question is d. Categorical because a categorical variable consists of names or labels of groups of individuals.