The encode and decode commands in Stata allow you to convert string variables to numeric variables (encode) and numeric variables to string variables (decode).
The encode command assigns a number to each different string, starting with the number 1 and continuing on (2, 3, 4, etc), while applying a value label to each number.
The decode command will convert a numeric variable to a string variable when that variable has a value label attached to it.
A value label can easily be created in Stata and attached to the variable you want to decode. The value label is necessary because it assigns a string description to each number, while keeping the number intact. Without a value label, Stata does not know what string you want to convert each different number into, and so is unable to decode the variable.
If you would simply like to convert your numeric variable into a string with the numbers saved as strings, use the tostring command.
How to Use:
To encode your string variable to make it a numeric variable:
encode variable_name, generate(new_variable_name)
To attach value labels and then decode your numeric variable to a string variable:
label define label_name 0 "string1" 1 "string2"label values variable_name label_namedecode variable_name, generate(new_variable_name)
Worked Example:
I have a dataset with the string variable “cancer” which lists different types of cancer, and the numeric binary variable “gender” which records gender as either 0 or 1 for each observation. A snapshot of this dataset is shown below:
I want to convert my cancer string variable into a numeric variable so that each cancer is represented by a number, and I am going to do this using the encode command. My gender numeric variable contains either 0 or 1, where 0 represents “female” and 1 represents “male”. I also want to convert my 0/1 numeric gender variable into a male/female string variable using the decode command.
In the command pane I type the following:
encode cancer, generate(cancer2)label values cancer2 .label define sex 0 "female" 1 "male"label values gender sexdecode gender, generate(gender2)
The dataset now looks like this:
As you can see, the gender is now a string rather than a binary variable, and the cancer variable now lists the cancers by assigning each a number. In the above code, the line label values cancer2 . removed the labels from each cancer so when you browse the data you only see the cancers as their numeric representation. To add the value labels back to the cancer variable so you can see the names again, you use label values cancer2 cancer2. This code works because when you encoded the cancer variable and generated the new cancer2 variable it created a value label and named it the same name as the newly generated variable. There is an option to name the value label separately. To learn more about this you can see the help file with the command help encode.
There are many uses for encoding and decoding variables. One reason common to medical research is to assign numbers to things like cancers when doing analysis. This removes any perceived bias, as the researcher does not know which number represents which cancer. Stata makes this easy to do, and provides a simple mechanism of re-attaching the labels to their numeric identifiers when it is time to present the analysis.
FAQs
Papua New Guinea is Australia's closest neighbour, with less than 4 km between the 2 countries at the nearest point. The country is a constitutional monarchy and one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, with more than 800 spoken languages and hundreds of Indigenous ethnic groups.
Is Indonesia or New Zealand closer to Australia? ›
Is New Zealand the closest to Australia? No. Papua New Guinea is closer, so is Indonesia, Borneo and Malaysia. NZ is closer both in distance and mind set to Australia.
Is New Zealand part of the Australia continent? ›
Zealandia as a Continent. New Zealand and New Caledonia are large, isolated islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean. They have never been regarded as part of the Australian continent, although the geographic term Australasia often is used for the collective land and islands of the southwest Pacific region.
Is New Zealand close to Australia? ›
Australia and New Zealand are separated by the Tasman Sea by more than 1,491 km (926 mi).
Can you see PNG from Cape York? ›
Only four kilometres separates Papua New Guinea from an Australian island. Or 150 kilometres if you measure from Cape York to the PNG mainland. Yet it's a world away, for all Australians know about it. Tourists hardly visit.
Which country is New Zealand closer to? ›
New Zealand ('Aotearoa' in Maori) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It has two main islands, North Island and South Island. Its closest neighbour is Australia, more than 4,100 kilometres to the north-west. New Zealand has been shaped by volcanic activity and some of its volcanoes are still active.
What country is the closest to Indonesia? ›
Indonesia shares borders with Malaysia on Borneo island, with Papua New Guinea on Papua island, and with East Timor on Timor island. Other neighboring countries include Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, and the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.
Is Indonesia the closest country to Australia? ›
Papua New Guinea (to the north) and New Zealand (to the east) are Australia's closest neighbours. There are also many other countries including East Timor, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands who are close neighbours too.
Is Fiji closer to Australia or New Zealand? ›
Geographically, the Fijian Islands are located closer to New Zealand than Australia but they are equally easy to get to from both countries.
What is the new name for New Zealand? ›
Peters called Aotearoa a "name with no historical credibility". As of August 2022 the petition gained over 21,000 signatures. By early June 2022, Te Pāti Māori's petition to rename New Zealand "Aotearoa" had received over 70,000 signatures. On 2 June, the petition was submitted before Parliament's committee.
The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary gives two meanings of "Australasia". One, especially in Australian use, is "Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the neighbouring islands of the Pacific". The other, especially in New Zealand use, is just Australia and New Zealand.
What is the 8th continent of the world? ›
Zealandia is Earth's forgotten and submerged eighth continent. Scientists had long predicted the existence of this bonus southern landmass that remained missing for 375 years, largely because it's submerged 1-2 kilometres under water.
Why is New Zealand so famous? ›
New Zealand is one of the most unique destinations on Earth, where scenes of sweeping, verdant landscapes and pristine wilderness abound. In addition to its endless natural attractions, New Zealand is also known for its rich culture, friendly locals, and excellent food and wine.
Why are New Zealanders called Kiwis? ›
In the early 1900s, cartoonists started to use images of the kiwi bird to represent New Zealand as a country. During the First World War, New Zealand soldiers were referred to as 'kiwis', and the nickname stuck. Eventually, the term Kiwi was attributed to all New Zealanders, who proudly embraced the moniker.
Is it cheaper to live in New Zealand or Australia? ›
All things considered, New Zealand is cheaper to live in than Australia. The average cost of living in Australia is 18% more expensive than in New Zealand and Australia is ranked 10th vs 15th for New Zealand in the list of the most expensive countries in the world. But, both countries offer a high standard of living.
How close is Australia to PNG? ›
The closest distance between the PNG and Australian mainlands is about 80 nautical miles (about 150 km). In 1972, several (presumed) Australian islands lay close to the PNG coast. At high tide, the nearest such island (Kussa) was less than one kilometre distant.
Is New Zealand close to Papua New Guinea? ›
The distance between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea is 4290 km. How long does it take to get from New Zealand to Papua New Guinea? It takes approximately 10h 40m to get from New Zealand to Papua New Guinea, including transfers.
Which country is the closest to Australia? ›
Its closest neighbours are New Zealand to the east and Papua New Guinea to the north. It has a large mountain range that runs down its east coast. Most of the centre of the country is covered by desert. The majority of its population live on the coasts.
Which country is closer to Papua New Guinea? ›
The Independent State of Papua New Guinea is a constitutional monarchy and Australia's closest neighbour, with less than four kilometres separating it from Australia at the nearest point.
