Ordinalnivået

Ordinalnivået refers to a level of measurement in statistics where categories can be ranked in order but the intervals between the ranks are not necessarily equal or known. It is one of the four levels of measurement, following nominal and preceding interval and ratio levels. Data at the ordinal level can be classified into distinct categories, and these categories have a natural ordering. Examples include socioeconomic status (e.g., low, medium, high), Likert scales (e.g., strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree), or finishing positions in a race (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd). While we know that 1st place is better than 2nd place, we cannot quantify the exact difference in performance between them. Statistical analyses appropriate for ordinal data include non-parametric tests such as the Mann-Whitney U test or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, as well as methods for analyzing rankings and ordered categories. Treating ordinal data as interval or ratio data can lead to inaccurate conclusions.