Stata Basics - Constructing an Index

This video covers how to construct a simple additive index using multiple variables, as well as to accomplish the necessary setup tasks including modifying the values and scale of the variable. This video assumes that you are familiar with the "generate" command.
This video was prepared for social science undergraduates taking a course in research methods. It assumes that viewers are comfortable with basic data concepts but lack experience and/or comfort with Stata itself.

[@Non91212]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@kathleenelvir960]

Thank you for your video, you can use the stata command codebook [var] to see what variables are originally coded numerical wise. I wish you showed multiple ways to construct indices but for now making sure they are all on the same scale and adding them up will have to do the job.

[@mukham7546]

you chose the most comfortable dataset for u and created index which means nothing. Thank you!

[@akoredeadebayo4269]

very helpful

[@liptonblock5683]

Hi, thank you for your video. I have a question about something which has to be easy to understand - but I don't get it:
the original scale of both variables is 1-3. But why is the scale in the new generated index from 0-4 (012345) ?!

[@zozgeable]

Because the index is the sum of the two variables (conmedic + consi2) and shows different combinations of values that these two variables can take. For example, if a respondent reports a great deal of confidence in medicine and science, the index takes the value of 4. If a respondent reports only some confidence in medicine but a great deal of confidence in science the index takes the value of 3 this time.

[@clem2248]

Guys how to make an index when the data is unscaled? I have a 3 variables that are ratios