In SPSS, how do I collapse and recode a continuous variable?

In SPSS, you have two options for collapsing and recoding continuous variables: the IF command and the RECODE command.

The IF command

Suppose you have a variable score that you need to collapse into five distinct categories in a new variable grade:

These conditions break the variable score into five categories. For example, scores ranging from 80 to 90 are coded as 3 in the new variable.

The RECODE command

For the example above, you would use the following:

Important: The order of the statements matters; that is, SPSS manipulates the statements in order. Therefore, all subjects having values between 80 and 90 in the variable score will have the value 3 in the new variable grade, and then all subjects having values between 70 and 80 except 80 (because 80 is defined in the previous statement) will have the value 2 in the new variable grade, and so forth.

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