What is Crosstab Software?

Crosstab software generates tables that display the relationship between two or more variables.

Crosstab software generates tables that displays the relationship between two or more variables. It is used in statistics to measure and analyze the relationship between different variables. Additionally, it can be used to compare frequencies and proportions of different variables.

Crosstabs often show the relationship between two or more survey questions. Here are a few examples to help illustrate the crosstab concept.

Example 1: With a Crosstab

Let's say you have a hypothesis that women are more likely to buy your product. Crosstab software would allow you to quickly set up a table that lets you view the relationship between gender and the intent to purchase your product. Your analysis could be set up various ways, with charts, graphs or other visuals, and the overall data would remain the same. One variable would be the gender of the survey participants and another would be their intent to purchase your product. Your results might look something like this:

  • Yes, intend to purchase: Women: 87 percent / Men: 22 percent
  • No, don’t intend to purchase:  Women: 6 percent / Men: 29 percent
  • Not sure: Women: 7 percent / Men: 49 percent

Example 2: Without a Crosstab

If your survey simply asked how likely the participants were to purchase your product within the next year. Your overall results would be:

  • Yes, intend to purchase: 54 percent
  • No, don’t intend to purchase: 33 percent
  • Not sure: 13 percent

Crosstab software can generate a report that shows more women intend on purchasing your product over the next year. It also shows that the majority of men are not sure about making that purchase, giving you a solid audience segment to target for transforming their indecisiveness into a positive decision.

Example 3: Additional Crosstabs

Crosstab options can include many variables. In addition to outlining the relationship between gender and intent to purchase, you could look at different aspects of your survey results that include:

  • Income levels and intent to purchase
  • Age and intent to purchase
  • Occupation and intent to purchase
  • Homeowner status and intent to purchase
  • Income levels and gender
  • Income levels and age
  • Income levels and occupation
  • Any other combination of factors set up how you choose to gather information that matters most to your company

Why You Need a Crosstab

Any company that wants to ensure their survey results are scientifically valid is a prime candidate for crosstab software. And that’s not the only reasons why it’s an essential tool in the analytic process. Others reasons include:

  • Manually creating crosstab reports can be inaccurate.
  • Excel alone is not designed for survey research analysis.
  • Erroneous conclusions occur by reviewing data without cross tabulation.
  • Survey software tools provide very basic functions without the essential statistic testing component found in crosstab software.

Benefits of Crosstab Software

One of the greatest benefits of crosstab software is the deep insights it uncovers. With the ability to break down survey results into specific variables, you can determine what segments are responding to your message and which may need additional attention. Insights can come from any number of different survey types, such as customer or employee satisfaction surveys.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Insights
Crosstab software could help you uncover insights that include:

  • Satisfaction levels between first-time vs. repeat buyers
  • Relationship between customer satisfaction and their likelihood of recommending your product
  • Recommendation likelihood between first-time vs. repeat buyers

Employee Satisfaction Survey Insights
Here you could find out specific satisfaction levels throughout the company, such as:

  • Satisfaction of employees in specific departments
  • Relationship between office location and satisfaction levels
  • If relationship between office location and satisfaction levels change when you factor in length of time with company

In addition to gleaning useful insights, crosstab software provides a host of additional benefits. Because it’s specialized to the specific task of analyzing statistics, you can be assured your results are accurate. Many crosstab software packages contain useful features that make easy to share your results. They allow you to upload your datasets in a variety of formats, such as Excel, Triple-S, SAS, SPSS and SurveyMonkey. They additionally have the capacity to generate results in PowerPoint charts. Regardless of the exact features that may come with the crosstab software, it's wise to add this essential tool to your data analysis process. Deeper insights and a greater understanding of your customers can lead to the implementation of strategies that help drive those customers into action. Be sure to visit mTab and see how our award-winning crosstab software can help your organization make faster, better business decisions.

Mark Langsfeld

Chief Executive Officer

Mark leads mTab, the world’s insights marketplace. Named SmartCEO “Innovator of the Year” in analytics, he’s led product teams at VoiceBase, ListenLogic, and Realtor.com.

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