Statistics for nominal, ordinal, and interval data. The ordinal scale does not assume that the distances from 0 to 1 and 1 to 2 (and so on) are equal. g. En SPSS, es importante elegir el nivel de medición adecuado para cada variable. Each of those levels gives you different amounts of analyzable information in SPSS. In particular, the video assumes that the classes to be converted to a. Thang đo định danh. "Yes/no" questions in SPSS should be "Nominal" in the Measure column. The basic criteria that makes a scale an interval scale is that it has. The height of each bar represents a number of people in each category. , whether the variables are independent or related). Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales can be defined as the 4 measurement scales used to capture and analyze data from surveys, questionnaires, and similar research instruments. SPSS suggests that “Date” and “Dollar” are variable types as well. Categorical variables take 2 forms--nominal and ordinal variables. Is the likert scale ordinal, nominal, discrete or continuous (ratio)?. The simplest measurement scale we can use to label variables is a nominal scale. For example, a Likert scale that contains five values. This tutorial will show you how to use SPSS version 12. NOMINAL. Level of measurement or scale of measure is a classification that describes the nature of information within the values assigned to variables. SPSS: Changing scale variable to nominal variableData collection rating scales; Nominal data collection does not include rating scales, which is very common with ordinal data collection. Data that is measured using an ordinal scale is similar to nominal scale data but there is a big difference. If you have the Categories module installed, you will find the CATPCA procedure in the menu system at. categorical)， ordinal (i. Role. a. Nominal. Ordinal data have order, but the intervals between scale points may be uneven. A movie was given a rating of 4 stars on a scale of 5 stars. 1. This video describes the levels of measurement in SPSS (nominal, ordinal, scale). Interval. Ratio: exactly the same as the interval scale except that the zero on the scale means: does not exist. , or continuous with fractional numbers like 12. For example, our satisfaction ordering makes it meaningful to assert that one person is more satisfied than. By default, SPSS assigns the role of Input to all variables. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Ordinal Scales 3. . Scale is if there are numbers and the numbers really have an objective meaning of measurements. Nominal. Untuk variabel ini kita memilih scale karena datanya bersifat rasio. In this case there will be many more levels of the nominal variable (50 in fact). The levels of measurement indicate how precisely data is recorded. For example: Placing cats into breed type. Sebelum melakukan analisis data lebih lanjut, kita sebaiknya menentukan jenis tipe variabel masing-masing variabel yang dimasukkan. For example, our satisfaction ordering makes it meaningful to assert that one person is more satisfied than another with their microwave ovens. Unlike nominal scales, ordinal scales allow comparisons of the degree to which two subjects possess the dependent variable. I have numerous environmental variables I'd like to correlate to some tree species data. Data that is measured using an ordinal scale is similar to nominal scale data but there is a big difference. Chi square for association; Fisher's Exact test; 2 ordinal variables. Pengukuran dan Penskalaan dalam Riset Pemasaran | Pendidikan Ekonomi. Misalnya data nominal merupakan data statistik dan statistika tidak bisa diurutkan dan tidak bisa diukur. All the scales of measurement can be categorized into two parts. The SPSS printout of the results for the data from Mahon is shown below. Now click “Continue”in the “Statistics” dialog box, then “OK” in the prior dialog box. It may vary. EXE. Because of the lack of equal distances, arithmetic operations are not possible, but logical operations can be performed. 2K Share Save 109K views 8 years ago. A nominal scale, as the name implies, is simply some placing of data into categories, without any order or structure. Standard textbooks distinguish 4 such measurement levels or variable types. 3 lưu ý để lựa chọn thang đo SPSS hiệu quả. Nominal, ordinal and scale is a way to label data for analysis. SPSS. Frimpong. Ordinal. The following controls are unique to nominal and ordinal fields and are used to specify values and labels: Values. Even though these are numbers, they do not imply an order, and the distance between them is not meaningful. Multinomial logistic regression can also be used for ordinal variables, but you might consider running an ordinal logistic regression instead. 0 Others 57. 定序型. SPSS gives you three choices for levels of measurement: Nominal, Ordinal, and scale. For example, severity of disease is an ordinal variable because the “moderate” level represents a some-what more severe disease state than the “mild” level, and the “severe” level. In SPSS, this type of transform is called recoding. In the statistics box you pick observed and expected and the kappa. The ordinal measurement level enables you to define a set of categorical data as ordinal data for the purposes of visualization, model building, and export to other applications (such as IBM SPSS Statistics) that recognize ordinal data as a distinct type. Kоlоm measure hаruѕ ditetapkan terlebih dаhulu ѕеbеlum melakukan аnаlіѕіѕ data lеbіh lаnjut. Double click the variable you want to edit. . ( Analyze > Bivariate) You'd need the check the box "Spearman" in order to get the statsitics. This type of data cannot be subjected to basic mathematical operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. Nominal. Nominal and ordinal data can be either string (alphanumeric) or numeric. (pdf file) Slides: Mixed Models for Longitudinal Ordinal and Nominal Data (pdf file) Examples using SAS: schzonl. How can I check the measure (nominal/ordinal/scale) of a variable using syntax? Ask Question Asked 5 years, 2 months ago. Sorted by: 1. Essentially, a scale variable is a measurement variable — a. Modified 1 year, 9 months ago. The Values column. e. SPSS enables you to present your data visually in the form of graphs. Likert scale items are created by calculating a composite score (sum or mean) from four or more type Likert-type items; therefore, the composite score for Likert scales should be analyzed at the interval measurement scale. 1. , nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio) provides a different type of information. Asked 26th Mar, 2020;subcategories of measurement scale, ordinal and nominal. This video describes the levels of measurement in SPSS (nominal, ordinal, scale). View all Topics. Assumption #2: You have one or more independent variables that are continuous, ordinal or nominal (including dichotomous. However, when using actual dialog boxes to do analyses, SPSS will often ask us to describe whether the data are "Continuous" or "Categorical". Trong SPSS dữ liệu được đo lường measure qua 3 dạng thang đo như hình sau: Đó là Scale, Ordinal, Nominal. In the field of pain research, the most frequently used pain assessment scale is the ordinal scale, which would include the visual analogue scale (VAS). You can learn more about types of variables in our article: Types of Variable. The median (i. Nominal, the “nom” part is Latin for “name”, it’s anything with word categories. All ranking data, such as the Likert scales, the Bristol stool scales, and any other scales rated between 0 and 10, can be expressed using ordinal data. A variable can be treated as nominal when its values represent categories with no intrinsic ranking (for example, the department of the company in. Jesus Salcedo is an independent statistical and data-mining consultant who has been using SPSS products for more than 25 years. There are 4 levels of measurement: Nominal: the data can only be categorized. The storage types for a set can be. While nominal and ordinal variables are categorical, interval and ratio variables are quantitative. To identify whether a scale is interval or ordinal, consider whether it uses values with fixed measurement units, where the distances between any two points are of known size. If you use the SPSS you got to crosstabs and enter test in one of the columns an retest in the other. It is also important that zero is just a point on the scale. in our survey, these would be the respondents) are sorted into a set of categories which are qualitatively different from each other. Measure merupakan salah satu kolom yang berada di variable view IBM SPSS. Scales of MeasurementNom. . In SPSS, what is the difference between nominal and ordinal? In a nutshell, nominal variables are used to “name” or label a set of. Measurement of Scales, # data entry in spss#nominal, ordinal, Interval and Ratio scalesPart 3 SPSS Measurement scale Nominal | Ordinal | With ExampleFor SPSS software #Measurement Scale #Nominal #Ordinal For. An ordinal variable contains values that can be ordered like ranks and scores. SPSS uses the term 'Scale' to refer to:Nominal Scale. nominal scale 2. g. The interval level of measurement includes all the properties of the nominal and ordinal level of measurement but it has an additional property that the difference (interval) between the values is known and constant size. Z = (s - np) / sqrt (npq) NOMINAL data is used for identification. g. SPSS uses three terms ( nominal, ordinal, and scale) for the levels or types of measurement. 1. Data can be classified as being on one of four scales: nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio. numeric, string; how many characters. "Rape as a myth" as dependent variable. The intraclass correlation coefficient serves as a viable option for testing agreement when more than two raters assess ordinal content. The usual example given of an ordinal variable is “finishing position in a race”. The top five national parks in the United States. . 1. Nominal. Finally, Ratio scales give us the. If the data for your Likert scale variables has been imported at the Nominal or Scale level of measurement, place your cursor in this field and select Ordinal from the drop-down menu for each of these variables. In SPSS, you can specify the level of measurement as scale (numeric data on an interval or ratio scale), ordinal, or nominal. This video captures how to analyse Likert-scale questionnaire responses or data appropriately using SPSSSPSS Statistics. Nominal. The likert scale of measurement is ordinal lying in an interval. g. e. The ID measure type is, unlike the others, unique to jamovi. (2008). Nominal Ordinal Scale Interval Ratio 11 12. Spss an introduction - Download as a PDF or view online for free. SPSS中数据类型根据度量尺度可为三类：定距型数据（Scale）、定序型数据（Ordinal）、定类型数据（Nominal），如下图。. I ) Sırasız nitel (nominal) ii ) Sıralı nitel (ordinal) Niceliksel (Sayısal) Veri Tipi. SPSS also provides an explanation for the suggestion, and a description of each possible type of measurement level (nominal, ordinal, scale) to help you make a decision. It is used to provide dozens of functions for managing, analyzing, and. SPSS Missing Values Syntax Examples. A variable can be treated as nominal when its values represent categories with no intrinsic ranking (for example, the department of the company in. SPSS develops as a programming language, and it is designed to provide statistical analysis. University of Pretoria. Pearson’s r is a measure of association for continuous variables. Reading material: Hedeker, D. g. Nominal. In statistics, there are four data measurement scales: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. 757, which is the same as the chi-square that we calculated using (N - 1)r 2. Define your variables. In addition to being able to classify people into these three categories, you can order. Contingency coefficient June 28, 2022 This tutorial provides definitions and examples for the 3 SPSS measures, including nominal, ordinal, and scale. Ordinal scale level; Interval scale level; Ratio scale level; Nominal Scale Level. Nominal scale is used to name variables and Ordinal scale provides information about the order of the variables. Note that frequency distributio. Nominal scale data are not ordered. Nominal Created by ASK (2012) Page 2 of 6. This short video details how to convert an SPSS Scale variable to an Ordinal variable. Missing values. Choose ordinal data if your values are a series of ranks, such as in the case of a motor racing result (first, second, third, fourth) or class standing. To compute a new variable, click Transform > Compute Variable. ” Here are some examples. To calculate summary statistics for each variable, click the Analyze tab, then Descriptive Statistics, then Descriptives: In the new window that pops up, drag each of the four variables into the box labelled Variable (s). 1. A physical example of a nominal scale is the terms we use for colours. It makes an implicit assumption (that the category intervals are equispaced), but in practice it's done when there's no particular. Changes variable names. Bar charts and pie charts are most frequently used for nominal and ordinal variables. The storage types for a set can be string, integer, real number, or date/time. The ordinal scale data can be ordered. The categories are not necessarily equally spaced apart or have the same difference between them. Thang đo định danh (Nominal scale) trong SPSS. @DennisHunink: "nominal" or "ordinal" are meaningless with regard to dichtomous variables. Changes variable print and write formats. In an ordinal scale, the order of answer options is what’s significant—you can. I agree with Bruce; the answer does not depend on the specification (nominal, ordinal or scale. ความยาวไม่เกิน 8 ตัวอักขระ เพื่อให้โปรแกรม SPSS สามารถ. 14. Scale and nominal Food Consumption Score Mean Residence status IDPs 64. Advanced Statistical Analysis. Definitions; Nominal data and ordinal data are both groups of non-parametric variables used to. Trong SPSS dữ liệu được đo lường measure qua 3 dạng thang đo như hình sau: Đó là Scale, Ordinal, Nominal. This allows a researcher to explore the relationship between variables by examining the intersections of categories of each of the variables involved. Tutorial terkait: Pengertian Scale Nominal dan Ordinal pada SPSS. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like telephone numbers, leap years. In my opinion it may be misleading as it visually encourages a kind of linear interpolation between ordinal levels, as if the data were from an interval scale. Tuy nhiên để quy về bản chất có 4 loại như sau: Nhóm MBA Bách Khoa sẽ giải thích chi tiết từng loại thang đo nhé. , items or indicators) resulting from questionnaires using ordinal items with 2–7 categories are used. We will use some examples based on data from a survey of secondary school children’s attitudes toWeight is measured on the ratio scale. When one of the variables is binary (such as group membership) just any kind of correlation (whether the other variable is continuous, likert ,. Upload. if you are looking at something and want to model it in terms of who was president. nominal. In SPSS, a widely used software for data analysis, variables can be classified into three main types: nominal, ordinal, and scale. ratio scale 3. ordinal alpha, which was introduced byExamples of ordinal variables include Likert items (e. Mainstream statistics recognises four levels or scales of measure. Yes, it is possible to use multiple regression analysis for likert scale but all the values must be transformed to continuous value. 3) The Algorithm from the MASS package does the recoding for you. A good example of a nominal variable is sex (or gender). Del=”;”: tells SPSS what to use as the delimiter. The environmental variables vary greatly in scale, so I'd like to standardize each by calculating standard z-scores (mean=0, SD=1) for each variable. Nominal and ordinal data can be either string alphanumeric or numeric. 1). A few options I can think of: Scatter plot with added random jitter to stop points hiding each other. In this measurement 0 is used as an arbitrary point. Nominal. SPSS uses the term 'Scale' to refer to: a. We saw however it is not that one location gave the teacher only ‘fully agrees’, and the other only ‘fully disagrees’. Specifies the level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, or scale). Nominal vs. The Chi-Square Test of Independence determines whether there is an association between categorical variables (i. Correlation is a statistical measure of the relationship between two variables, X and Y. We focus on . Now, in SPSS what can I give the type of data? is it scale, nominal or ordinal? Then which test should I use to find if there are differences between periods (phases)? I would appreciate any type of help. Often likert-type rating data are assumed to be scale-level, because such data are easier to analyze. e. SPSS: Understand Ordinal, Nominal & Scale (aka Level of measurment) BrunelASK 25K subscribers Subscribe 1. To indicate how strong the influence is, it is a good habit to also report a so-called effect size. Interval scales give us the order of values + the ability to quantify the difference between each one. There are many options for analyzing categorical variables that have no order. You can specify the level of measurement as scale (numeric data on an interval or ratio scale), ordinal, or nominal. That said, the distinction between ordinal and interval is based on the specific demands of the analysis being performed. To open the Compare Means. AkbarSea - Measure merupakan ѕаlаh satu kоlоm yang bеrаdа di vаrіаblе vіеw IBM SPSS. For example, a variable “Group” may have levels “1” and “2”. ) is not much more than some rescaled version of some difference of means between the two groups defined by the binary variable. 2. What are the Scales of Measurement in Statistics ? This video talks about the scales of measurement or Level of Measurement: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and. Nominal scale is a naming scale, where variables are simply “named” or labeled, with no specific order . Nominal. Types of Scales Nominal example: nationality, race, gender… based on a concept (two categories variable called. Stevens described measures as falling into one of four categories – nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio. The differences between the levels of measurement and how to associate a le. A variable can be treated as nominal when its values represent categories with no intrinsic ranking; for example, the department of the company in which an employee. Abebe Tilahun Kassaye. All nominal variables are dichotomous. Go to the data view screen & enter the actual data. By mastering the understanding of nominal, ordinal, and scale variables in SPSS, you can confidently analyze your data and draw accurate conclusions. So I think it is advisable to utilize the nonparemetric tests. c. In the Patterns box, click dd-mmm-yyyy. These are. Nominal – Ordinal – Ratio C. Examples of nominal variables include region, postal code, and religious affiliation. interval or ratio scale (or continuous) measurement, whereas nonparametric tests typically make use of nominal or ordinal (or categorical) information only. Ordinal variables are categorical variables with an inherent order. Chúng ta sẽ bắt đầu với loại thang đo đơn giản nhất từ 4 loại thang đo trong SPSS đó là thang đo định danh. . Continuous is for variables with numeric values which are considered to be Interval or Ratio scales (Equivalent to Scale in SPSS). 1. The scale of measurement, also known as the level of measurement, describes the accuracy level that may be achieved while recording data. missing values married (4,5). The name assigned to the variable; What the variable represents (i. Some control variables are in nominal scale such as Gender, Purpose of Visit etc. , height or test scores). Association for Nominal and Ordinal Variables T he most basic type of cross-tabulation (crosstabs) is used to analyze relationships between two variables. 4. While statistical software like SPSS or R might “let” you run the test with the wrong type of data, your results will be flawed at best, and meaningless at worst. Nominal data assigns names to each data point without placing it in some sort of order. Nominal – Ordinal – Scale [<br>] 57. Interval scale offers labels, order, as well as, a specific interval between each of its variable options. Since your measurement scales are nominal and ordinal you could not apply the parametric test like Pearson product Moment Correlation. The distance between 1 and 2 maybe shorter than between 9 and 10. Thang đo định danh. The ordinal scale orders/ranks. Escala ordinal nominal de SPSS. This video shows with an illustration or example different levels of data measurement in SPSS which are: Nominal, Ordinal and Scale Measurement)1. Ordinal. Creating unnaturally dichotomous variables from non dichotomous variables is known as dichotomizing. In this video, IBM. Asked 26th Mar, 2020;Nominal scales provide the least amount of detail. You can use an ordinal field anywhere that a nominal field can be used. If you have differing levels of measures, always use the measure of association of the lowest level of measurement. The “higher” the measurement level, the more information a variable holds. Question: For each of the following variables, indicate the SPSS Statistics level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, scale). Note that in most cases, the row and column variables in a crosstab can be used interchangeably. Types of Scale of measurement. In the example below, we have selected six variables from our dataset. SPSS - assign a value to a macro argument by manipulating another. Get information about R workspace contents and create SPSS datasets. Use nominal variables for categories. In some cases, the measurement scale for data is ordinal, but the variable is treated as continuous. Nominal (set) and ordinal (ordered set) measurement levels indicate that thedata values are used discretely as a member of the set. Ordinal scale has all its variables in a specific order, beyond just naming them. This explains the comment that "The most natural measure of association / correlation between a. 1. Each of those levels gives you different amounts of analyzable information in SPSS. Nominal Ordinal Scale SPSS. 00. Eta is appropriate for a dependent variable measured on an interval scale (for example, income) and an independent variable with a limited number of categories (for example, gender). The 4 scales are in the order of Nominal, Ordinal, Interval and. Multilevel models for ordinal and nominal variables. The following table shows general guidelines for choosing a statistical analysis. For example, a variable “Group” may have levels “1” and “2”. Nominal scale data cannot be used in calculations. The categories typically range from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” or similar constructs. In this article, we will learn four types of scales such as nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scale. This gets us what we want however, as can be seen in the screenshot below, the new “Numeric_Zip” variable is currently set as a “Scale” variable. Standard textbooks distinguish 4 such measurement levels or variable types. Nominal and ordinal data can be either string (alphanumeric) or numeric. For example, you could use the Mann-Whitney U test to understand whether attitudes towards pay discrimination, where attitudes are measured on an ordinal scale, differ. If it makes sense to treat the ordinal variable as a dependent variable, you could try using ordinal logistic regression via the PLUM procedure. Det måste man hålla koll på själv. There are equal intervals between points on an ordinal scale. de Leeuw & E. Data that is measured using an ordinal scale is similar to nominal scale data but there is a big difference. 1. Mileage should use "Scale," and Ranking questions (e. Assigning a particular scale of measurement depends on the numerical properties variable have, as discussed in the last article "Scales of Measurement". I am therefore a little confused as to how best to present. Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales are the four primary levels of measurement. Thang đo Mức độ – Scale; 4. In the dialog box above, the yellow bars at an angel are scales and indicate that variable is a scale variable. In SPSS, you can specify the level of measurement as scale (numeric data on an interval or ratio scale), ordinal, or nominal. g. Ketiga tipe variabel tersebut memberikan jenis nilai serta informasi analisis yang berbeda. Assign a name to the new variable (e. Berikut langkah-langkahnya, Contoh: Misalkan dalam suatu kuesioner terdapat 3 pertanyaan terkait identitas responden,For example, you may want to change a continuous variable into an ordinal categorical variable, or you may want to merge the categories of a nominal variable. ) By the way, the statistical software program SPSS uses only three categories: nominal, ordinal, and “scale” where scale includes interval and ratio level variables. Even though these are numbers, they do not imply an order, and the distance between them is not meaningful. An ordinal variable is similar to a categorical variable. com. For categorical variables, bar charts and pie charts are appropriate. The key feature of ordinal data is that. Nominal scale data cannot be used in calculations. Nitel Veriler. , a 3-point scale explaining how much a customer liked a product, ranging from "Not very much", to "It is OK", to "Yes, a lot"). This third part shows you how to apply and interpret the tests for ordinal and interval variables. Such an. g. This is what distinguishes ordinal from nominal scales. In the 1940s, Stanley Smith Stevens introduced four scales of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. ระดับนามบัญญัติ (Nominal Scale) เป็นระดับที่ใช้จ าแนกความแตกต่าง. SPSS measurement levels are limited to nominal (i. Question: Second Question (7 Points) (1) For each of the following variables, indicate the SPSS Statistics level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, scale). The Theory Of Scale Types Stevens (1946, 1951) proposed that measurements can be classified into four different types of scales. Data dibagi menjadi beberapa bagian, yaitu nominal, ordinal, interval, dan rasio. Individual Likert-type questions are generally considered ordinal data, because the items have clear rank order, but don’t have an even distribution. An ordinal scale variable is one in which there is a natural, meaningful way to order the different possibilities, but you can’t do anything else. NOMINAL. Nominal A variable can be treated as nominal when its values represent. Since there are only two valid values, there is only one interval between them, hence they are metric by definition. Leave blank (Blanks are treated as missing by SPSS) Enter missing value codes if desired (e. A linear regression tests the changes in the mean of the dependent variable by. The hotel ratings are usually on a scale from 0 stars to 5 stars. Ordinal . "How to do statistical analysis for test test reliability of a nominal scale in SPSS? Question. Scale of Measurement. SPSS软件中变量类型有Scale、Ordinal、Nominal三种（如下图），在进行Crosstab（卡方检验）时需要根据不同变量类型设置不同的统计量来检验，但是如何界定设定的变量属于什么类型？The following three options are available in SPSS: Nominal, Ordinal, and Scale. For example, our satisfaction ordering makes it meaningful to assert that one person is more satisfied than another with their microwave ovens. Each scale builds on the previous, meaning that each scale not only “ticks the same boxes” as the previous scale, but also adds another level of precision. The level of scales affects the choice of statistics between parametric or non-parametric methods. So normally it is better to just focus on difference in mean (or. 2 Setting the scale of measurement | The jamovi. Berikut pengertian dan perbedaan scale. 1. The part about coding is off topic here, but it looks like this is a method to reverse code the items, so that 1 becomes 5, 2 becomes 4 etc. Nominal scales are used for labeling variables, without any quantitative value. Upon importing the data for any variable into the SPSS input file, it takes it as a scale variable by default since the data essentially contains. In an ordinal scale, responses can be rated or ranked, but the distance between responses is not measurable. SPSS Measure: Nominal, Ordinal, and Scale Definitions for Nominal, Ordinal, and Scale Nominal Data Variables at the nominal level are categorical and have no inherent order or numerical meaning. The Mann-Whitney U test is used to compare differences between two independent groups when the dependent variable is either ordinal or continuous, but not normally distributed. Tùy theo tính chất của dữ liệu mà ta sẽ gán loại thang đo. Each of those levels gives you different amounts of analyzable information in SPSS. Calculate correlations between nominal, ordinal, and scale variables. Pearson correlations have been found to underestimate the strength of relationships between ordinal items (Olsson, 1979a). Upon importing the data for any variable into the SPSS input file, it takes it as a scale variable by default since the data essentially contains. Select nominal if your values are categories (for example, sex, religion, disease, social class, species). involved): scale, ordinal or nominal. Whether your variable is nominal or ordinal or even convertible into a semi-continuous one depends on what you are intending to measure. Louis Cardinals 1 = Ozzie Smith) and your social security number are examples of nominal data. To define your variables, double-click a column heading "Data View" A menu will appear, allowing you to define the variable. Scales of Measurement. The lowest measurement level you can use, from a statistical point of view, is a nominal scale. Nominal or Ordinal data can be either string.