This tradeoff should be kept in mind, however, when collapsing data. Collapsing categories is also common practice when using contingency tables. Contingency Tables . Contingency tables are used to investigate relationships between two variables by looking at two frequency distributions simultaneously. Similar to frequencies, contingency tables allow us to calculate percentages.
Little difference is apparent between the level of satisfaction of men and women.
In fact, in this example, both groups are overwhelmingly supportive of the MPD in general. There are two remaining issues concerning the use of contingency tables. Using percentages rather than frequencies is best when using contingency tables. Using frequencies alone may lead to erroneous conclusions about the data. While this is true, it does not mean that men, as a group, reported to be less satisfied than women.