Chi-Square Tests: what it means and how to read it
In the report: Chi-Square Tests — With details = TRUE: the tests of the table as in SPSS CROSSTABS /STATISTICS=CHISQ, at the very end of the report. Pearson Chi-Square, Likelihood Ratio and N of Valid Cases are always there; Continuity Correction and Fisher's Exact Test only for a 2 × 2 table; Linear-by-Linear Association only when both columns have codes (numbers, or labels with numbers).
In plain words
A shop owner put the age group of 100 customers next to the drink they picked and wanted to be sure about the link. She switched on details, and at the very end of the report she got Chi-Square Tests: a block of several tests that each ask, in their own way, do age and drink go together? Pearson Chi-Square, Likelihood Ratio and N of Valid Cases are always there. Three more rows show up only for a table of two rows and two columns, or when both columns use numbers. All her tests gave the same answer: the link was hard to put down to chance alone.
Example
The cell with Chi-Square Tests is selected in each report; point at a label to see its note.
- — the sample data (50 rows) the examples use
- — with the Chi-Square Tests and Symmetric Measures tables at the end
=STATS_CHI2(Data!A1:T51, "gender", "group", TRUE)
Where you see it
STATS_CHI2— Pearson chi-square test for association between two categorical columns.
Related values
- Symmetric Measures — With details = TRUE: the strength of the relation, Phi and Cramér's V, as in SPSS CROSSTABS /STATISTICS=PHI. Follows the Chi-Square Tests table.
- N of Valid Cases — The rows the test is computed on: both answers present and applicable.
- Observed counts — The crosstab of the counts the test uses — the same table as STATS_CROSSTABS.
- Expected counts — The counts expected if the two variables were unrelated: row total × column total / N, for the non-empty categories. The test compares them with the observed counts.
- Percentage — The share of the rows in the range, empty answers included; rows with "." (not applicable) are left out.
Get it in your sheet
One formula in a cell gives the whole report, Chi-Square Tests included. ALS Stats is a free add-on for Google Sheets™.
Install ALS Stats from Google Workspace Marketplace (opens in a new tab)