Value labels provide a method for mapping your variable values to a string label. In the case of this example, there are two acceptable values for the marital variable. A value of 0 means that the subject is single, and a 1 means that he or she is married.

Select the Values cell for the marital row and click the button to open the Value Labels dialog box.

The Value is the actual numeric value.

The Value Label is the string label applied to the specified numeric value.

Type 0 in the Value field.

Type Single for the Value Label.

Click Add to have this label added to the list.

Repeat the process, this time entering 1 for the Value and Married for the Value Label.

Click OK to implement the changes and return to the Data Editor.

These labels can also be displayed in the Data View, which can help to make your data more readable.

Click the Data View tab at the bottom of the Data Editor window.

From the menus choose:

View
Value Labels

The labels are now displayed in a listbox, which has the benefit of suggesting a valid response and providing a more descriptive answer.