A questionnaire administered to research participants asks them to rate their wellbeing as "not great", "getting there" or "excellent". Which of the following best describes the type of data?

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Question restatement: A questionnaire asks participants to rate wellbeing as 'not great', 'getting there' or 'excellent'. Which type of data best describes this?

Option a: Numerical
This would imply data are measured with numbers that represent quantities (e.g., 1, 2, 3) where arithmetic operations have meaning. The response options here are words/labels with a clear order, not numeric quantities, so labeling them numerical would be misleading and inappropriate for the measurement level.

Option b: Ordinal
The three response options are arranged in a meaningful order: from a lower wellbeing level ('not great') through an intermediate state ('getting there') to a higher state ('excellent'). This captures a rank or order among categories, which is the essence of ordinal data. While you cannot assume equal intervals between categories, you can say one option is higher than another.

Option c: Nominal
Nominal data consist of categories with no intrinsic order or ranking (e.g., eye color, pet type). Since the wellbeing options above have a defined progression from low to high, they are not simply a set of unordered categories, so nominal is inappropriate here.

Option d: Qualitative
Qualitative (or qualitative-type) data is a broad label that can refer to non-numeric descriptions, but in measurement theory, the more precise term for ordered categories like these is ordinal. Describing these data as merely qualitative would miss the crucial information that there is a specific, interpretable order among the levels.

Summary considerations: The key feature is the presence of an inherent order among the response categories, which points to ordinal data. The lack of numeric quantities and the presence of a rank distinct from numerical difference distinguish ordinal data from numerical or nominal types, and from a generic qualitative label.

NUT1002 S2 2025 AT2: Midsemester quiz (10%)

A questionnaire administered to research participants asks them to rate their wellbeing as "not great", "getting there" or "excellent". Which of the following best describes the type of data?

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