WebSurvey System
Exporting Survey Results to SPSS
This document will assist you in exporting the data from a WebSurvey to SPSS, allowing you to use many of the mathematical analyses that SPSS offers.
Exporting to Excel
The first step in transferring your WebSurvey data to SPSS is exporting it to Excel. You will need to do this twice, once for the Numeric values, and once for the Legend values. The Legend will not be used until further on in the process, but it easiest to create it at the present stage.
Exporting the Numeric Values
A numeric export results in a file that can be opened in Excel and is suitable for other analysis software such as SPSS. Responses are in rows by respondent. In other words, each row represents one completed survey. Responses are in numeric format. For example, responses to a Yes/No question appear as 1 or 2.
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From the Home page of your WebSurvey account, for the appropriate survey click ANALYZE
You are taken to the Survey Results Overview page. -
Click EXPORT DATA
You are taken to the Export Survey Data page. -
Under Numeric Export, select Numeric
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Click EXPORT
The File Download - Security Warning dialog box appears. -
Click OPEN
The Microsoft Office Excel dialog box appears asking you to verify that the file is from a trusted source. -
Click YES
Your WebSurvey data appears in an Excel spreadsheet. -
From the OFFICE BUTTON menu, select Save As » Excel 97-2003 Workbook
NOTES:
If you do not save in this format, the file will not be compatible with SPSS.
The Save As dialog box appears.
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Using the Save in pull-down menu, navigate to and select the save location
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In the File name text box, type the desired file name
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Click SAVE
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Close the spreadsheet
Exporting the Legend Values
The Legend is a .csv file that tells how answers from your survey correspond to the numeric values in the Numeric export file. The file can be opened in Excel.
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From the Export Survey Data page, under Numeric Export, select Legend
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Click EXPORT
The File Download - Security Warning dialog box appears. -
Click SAVE
The Save As dialog box appears.
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Using the Save in pull-down menu, navigate to and select the save location
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In the File name text box, type the desired file name
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Click SAVE
The Download complete dialog box appears. -
Click CLOSE
Opening Data in SPSS
At this point the data from your WebSurvey has been converted into a format that can then be imported into SPSS.
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Open SPSS
The SPSS 15.0 for Windows dialog box appears.
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Click OK
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Locate and open the Excel spreadsheet containing your Numeric export
HINT: If it is not visible, make sure All Files is selected from the Files of Type pull-down menu.
The Opening Excel Data Source dialog box appears. -
Click OK
Your data is displayed.
Understanding SPSS Views
There are two main ways to view information in SPSS. Data View displays each record of your survey responses vertically. The Variable View differs from Data View in that it allows you to manipulate aspects of the variables.
Data View
The Data View option is located in the lower left corner of the window. In this view the responses will be in rows with each question having its own column. In the case of multiple answer questions (i.e. check all that apply), each possible answer will have its own column. Each response is represented by a number (unless it is in response to an open-ended question).
Variable View
The Variable View option is located adjacent to the Data View option in the lower left corner of the window. In this view each question has its own row. The first column is the name of the variable. The second column indicates what type of variable each question is. Opened ended responses are indicated as String variables. All other questions should be indicated as Numeric variables.
More Help
For assistance in using SPSS, contact the BITS office at 836-5157, or training@uwec.edu.
