How to Recode SOCBAR into SOCBAR2 for BSF2

Open the QBA_Database (.sav) file in SPSS and scroll over to SOCBAR in the data editor window.  You just want to be able to view it.  Once SOCBAR is located and centered on your screen, click on the VALUE LABELS button below the menu bar near the top (the button with a "1" and "A” pictured).  The VALUE LABELS button hides and shows value labels for all variables at once with a simple click.  Click to see the value labels, not the numbers, and you'll view each of the original (Pre-SOCBAR2) value labels that I mentioned in BSF2.  Click again and you’ll see their associated numeric (#) values.  Now view the table below on this blog and, under OLD VALUES, you’ll see the same numbers that represent SOCBAR's value labels in what I just described above.

All you need to do is RECODE the variable SOCBAR into SOCBAR2 using the following scheme:

OLD VALUES	NEW VALUES
1, 2	1
3, 4	2
5, 6	3
7	4
ALL OTHER VALUES	SYSMIS

That's all!

Stay tuned for more TIPS to help with BSF2 due March 14, 2011.

Professor Ziner