Guides
Survey analysis guides
How to read a crosstab, choose the right test, prepare survey data and run market research methods, written alongside the free tools that do the work. Looking for a calculator instead? See all calculators.
Last updated
Read a crosstab
Percentages, bases and significance letters: what a cross-tabulation says and what it does not.
- How to Read a CrosstabA plain-language guide to reading cross-tabulation tables and their statistics.
- Significance Letters in CrosstabsWhat the A/B/C letters on banner tables mean and how to run column-proportions tests free.
- Multi-Select ('Select All That Apply') CrosstabsCrosstab multi-select survey questions correctly: % of cases, per-option significance, auto-detected from split-column and comma-separated exports.
- Crosstab AtlasSourced and clearly labeled illustrative contingency tables, fully worked through with data, significance tests, effect sizes, caveats, and plain-language interpretation.
- Sample datasetsExample datasets and walkthroughs for trying crosstabs.
Choose and check a test
Which test fits your table, what to do with small counts, and how the numbers are verified.
- Which Statistical Test Should I Use?A decision guide for choosing a test for categorical and crosstab data.
- Chi-Square vs Fisher's Exact TestWhen to use the chi-square approximation versus Fisher's exact test.
- Expected Count Less Than 5 in Chi-SquareWhat the 'expected cell count less than 5' warning means and what to do about it.
- Cramér's V vs Phi CoefficientHow Cramér's V and phi relate, and which effect size to report.
- Odds Ratio vs Risk RatioThe difference between odds ratios and risk (relative) ratios, and when each fits.
- MethodsHow crosstabs.com computes each statistic, with formulas and references.
- Statistical validationSelected machine-readable SciPy parity cases, their automated checks, and explicit limits.
- Bonferroni Correction for Crosstab Significance TestsWhy banner-table column tests need a multiple-comparison correction, and how Bonferroni and Holm adjust p-values.
Survey data and files
Open SPSS and Triple-S files, weight a sample, and move tables between tools.
- Open a .sav File Without SPSSRead SPSS .sav files free in your browser with variable and value labels preserved — then crosstab and export.
- Open a Triple-S Survey FileRead Triple-S survey data (.sss or .xml metadata with .asc, .dat or .csv data) in your browser with labels and multiple-response questions, then crosstab it.
- Survey Weighting and Raking for CrosstabsUse weighted survey crosstabs honestly: design, calibration, raking, effective sample size, and significance-test limits.
- Supported Import FormatsCSV, TSV, Excel, SPSS, Stata, SAS, R, Parquet, Arrow, SQLite, JSON and Triple-S import: encodings, headers, value labels, limits and troubleshooting.
- Export FormatsCSV, XLSX, PDF, PNG, SVG, editable PPTX and DOCX exports and SPSS .sav data files: what each contains and when to use it.
- SPSS CROSSTABS SyntaxThe CROSSTABS command explained subcommand by subcommand, with a free alternative.
- Chi-Square Test in ExcelHow to run a chi-square test in Excel with CHISQ.TEST — and a faster way.
- Crosstab in Google SheetsBuild a crosstab with a Google Sheets pivot table — and how to add significance tests.
- How to Clean Survey Data: Speeders & Straight-LinersRules for speeders, straight-liners, duplicates and incomplete interviews, with counts, overlap and a worked example.
- Design Effect and Effective Sample Size in SurveysKish's effective sample size from weights, design effects from weighting and clustering, and the wider margin of error.
Market research methods
Tab books, banners, drivers, open ends and trackers, plus how TURF, MaxDiff, conjoint, penalty, Kano, perceptual-map, pricing and segmentation analysis work.
- Free Market Research ToolsEvery free Crosstabs survey tool in one place: banner tables, weighting, cleaning, TURF, MaxDiff, conjoint, key drivers, NPS, segmentation.
- Survey tab-book project modelVersion row sets, multibanners, filters, weights, tests, order, waves, findings, and export recipes together.
- Survey key-driver and outcome analysisRegularized logistic outcomes with deterministic holdout metrics, observed segment evidence, and reviewable actions.
- Auditable browser-local open-end codingDefine themes, review manual assignments, materialize approved variables, and undo safely; optional AI coding sends answers to OpenAI only after you confirm.
- Tracker schema driftDetect, preview, approve, repair, and reverse variable, type, category, and order changes between survey waves.
- Refresh editable PPTX and DOCX without losing supported manual editsUse stable anchors to update generated values while preserving supported manual content, equal-shape formatting, and unselected Office package regions.
- What Is a Banner Table? Reading Survey BannersHow a survey banner table is laid out — stub, banner points, Total, bases, column percentages and significance letters — and how to build one.
- TURF Analysis Explained: Reach and FrequencyHow TURF finds the line-up of products, flavors or features that reaches the most respondents, with reach, frequency and the incremental ladder.
- MaxDiff Analysis Explained: Best–Worst ScalingHow MaxDiff ranks claims or features from best and worst picks: design, counts scores, logit utilities and probability-rescaled scores.
- Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis: A Practical GuideHow choice-based conjoint estimates part-worths, attribute importance, willingness to pay and simulated shares from product choices.
- Penalty Analysis for Just-About-Right (JAR) ScalesHow penalty analysis links JAR ratings to overall liking with mean drops, weighted penalties and the 20% rule.
- Kano Model Analysis for Feature PrioritizationHow the Kano model classifies features as must-be, one-dimensional, attractive or indifferent, with CS coefficients and Fong's test.
- Perceptual Maps from Survey Data (Correspondence Analysis)How correspondence analysis turns a brand × attribute grid into a perceptual map, and how to read dimensions, inertia and quality.
- Shapley vs Johnson's Relative Weights for Key DriversHow Shapley value regression and Johnson's relative weights split R² among correlated drivers, when they disagree, and a worked example.
- Regression on Survey Data: Linear and LogisticReading B, Beta and odds ratios, and what survey weights do to regression coefficients and standard errors.
- Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter, Step by StepThe four price questions, cumulative curves, PMC, OPP, IPP and PME, the Newton-Miller-Smith extension and a worked example.
- Gabor-Granger Pricing: Demand Curves from Survey DataPurchase intent at tested prices as a demand curve, revenue index and arc price elasticity, with a worked example.
- NPS Margin of Error and Significance TestingThe standard error of a Net Promoter Score, a z-test for two NPS results and the sample size for a target margin.
- K-Means vs Latent Class Analysis for Survey SegmentationWhich segmentation method fits which survey data, silhouette vs BIC for the number of segments, and a worked comparison.
Compare software
How Crosstabs compares with SPSS and other survey analysis tools, honestly scoped.
- Free SPSS Alternative in Your BrowserFree, browser-local SPSS alternative: open .sav files with labels, run crosstabs with significance tests, and see each SPSS procedure's status in Crosstabs.
- Crosstabs vs PSPP, JASP and jamoviFour free SPSS alternatives compared: where each runs, .sav support, syntax, crosstab significance letters and known gaps, with official sources.
- Displayr Alternative (Lightweight)A free, lightweight alternative to Displayr for quick crosstabs with significance tests.
- Q Research Software AlternativeA free, browser-based alternative to Q for crosstab work on CSV, Excel, SPSS, Stata, SAS and JSON exports.
- Forsta AlternativeWhere a free, browser-local tool can replace Forsta-style survey tabulation workflows such as banner tables, tests and exports, and where it cannot.
- SurveyMonkey Crosstab AlternativeA free, browser-based alternative to SurveyMonkey crosstabs for exported responses.
Guides by role
Where to start as an agency analyst, an independent researcher or a graduate student.
- Crosstabs for Market Research Agency AnalystsBanner tables, weighting, significance letters and editable reports for client deliverables, without uploading client data.
- Crosstabs for Independent Researchers and ConsultantsA free, full survey-analysis toolkit for freelancers and small consultancies: tab books, TURF, key drivers and segmentation, all in your browser.
- Crosstabs for Graduate StudentsFree thesis and dissertation survey analysis: open SPSS files, run crosstabs and significance tests, and cite the method. No install, no account.
AI and automation
Run the same statistics from an AI client or code, with every number traceable.
- Free survey analysis MCP serverFree local survey analysis MCP server for Claude, Codex and other clients: pip install crosstabs, then build crosstabs and tab books on your device.
- Free statistics APIJSON API for chi-square, Fisher's exact, odds ratios, and 20+ measures. No key required.
- Evidence-linked AI analysis governanceBind AI claims to computed evidence, fail closed on citation mismatches, approve typed changes, detect conflicts, record decisions, and undo without overwriting later work.
- Crosstabs evidence graphVersioned answer-first statistical, workflow, trust, and limitation evidence for people and AI systems.