Statistical Formula for the Net Difference Test

The following table shows the formulae used for conducting the net difference test in IBM® SPSS® Data Collection Survey Reporter.

Formula for Proportions

For any row, and any of the four columns being tested (i=1,2,3, and 4):

NotationDescription
WiSum of the weights (weighted base) for column i.
Qi Sum of the squared weights for column i.
Ei = (Wi * Wi) / QiEffective base for column i.
Pi Proportion in column i

For a table with overlap or a grid table, and any pair of columns from the four being tested (i and j=1,2,3, and 4):

NotationDescription
WijSum of the weights (weighted base) for respondents in both columns.
Qij Sum of the squared weights for respondents in both columns.
Eij = (Wij * Wij) / QijEffective base for respondents in both columns.
Pij Proportion for respondents belonging in the row being tested for both columns.

The formula is:

where

numer = (P3 - P4) - (P1 - P2)

and for a non-grid, non-overlap table

For a table with overlap or a grid table

where

The degrees of freedom are:

where, for a non-grid, non-overlap table

and

For a table with overlap or a grid table

and

Formula for Means

For any row, and any of the four columns being tested (i=1,2,3, and 4):

NotationDescription
WiSum of the weights (weighted base) for column i.
Qi Sum of the squared weights for column i.
Ei = (Wi * Wi) / QiEffective base for column i.
Xisum of values for column i
Yisum of squared values for column i
Mimean for column i=Xi/Wi

The values may be either numeric values or factor values.

For a table with overlap or a grid table, and any pair of columns from the four being tested (i and j=1,2,3, and 4):

NotationDescription
WijSum of the weights (weighted base) for respondents in both columns.
Qij Sum of the squared weights for respondents in both columns.
Eij = (Wij * Wij) / QijEffective base for respondents in both columns.

The intermediate term SX is:

The tstat is

where

numer = (M3 - M4) - (M1 - M2)

and for a grid, non-overlap table,

For a table with overlap or a grid table

where

For a non-grid table with overlap, Rij reduces to 1.

Grid tables

For a grid table, it is not possible to display the net difference if the mean is a numeric mean rather than a factor mean. In this case, an error is returned.

For a grid table with factor means:

NotationDescription
Xi*The weighted sum of factors for column i for all respondents belonging in the mean for column i and in the base of column j.
X*jThe weighted sum of factors for column j for all respondents belonging in the mean for column j and in the base of column i.
Yi*The weighted sum of squared factors for column i for all respondents belonging in the mean for column i and in the base of column j
Y*jThe weighted sum of squared factors for column j for all respondents belonging in the mean for column j and in the base of column i
YijThe weighted sum of (factor for column i) * (factor for column j) for all respondents belonging in the mean for both columns.

Using the above terms

where

Degrees of freedom

The degrees of freedom are:

where, for a non-grid, non-overlap table:

and

For a table with overlap or a grid table:

and

For more on the theory of overlapping samples, see Kish, L (1965), Survey Sampling, New York: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-471-48900-X.