What is ordinal data?

Ordinal data is characterized by a predetermined order or rank among the various categories it contains. This means that while the data can be categorized, it also allows for a meaningful arrangement or hierarchy. For instance, consider survey responses rated on a scale of "poor," "fair," "good," and "excellent." Here, it's clear that "excellent" is better than "good," "good" is better than "fair," and "fair" is better than "poor," which reflects the inherent order in the data.

In contrast, other types of data such as nominal data, which possesses no specific order, merely classify items into distinct categories without any rank. Similarly, interval or ratio data provides exact numerical values, but lacks the ranked nature of ordinal data. Understanding that ordinal data not only classifies but also ranks is essential in various applications, such as data analysis and survey interpretations, where assessing levels of satisfaction or performance is critical.