Handling Missing Data With SPSS/PC+: A Test and a Tutorial

Abstract

The statistical analysis of data with missing information occurs with great frequency in quantitative research. Although an enormous amount of literature has been produced on this subject, most of it assumes a strong background in statistics. In this paper we use SPSS/PC+ 4.0 to illustrate seven statistical procedures commonly employed by researchers to deal with missing data. We also assess how the use of a particular technique impacts findings in a multivariate regression analysis. Our results show that parameter estimates differ depending on which missing-data procedure is selected for use in an analysis. The implications of these findings are discussed. Keywords: Missing data, SPSS/PC+, incomplete data, missing observations.

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