Compute a mean score in SPSS
1. In SPSS, go to ‘Transform then Compute Variable‘.
2. In the new Compute Variable window, first enter the name of the new variable to be created in the ‘Target Variable‘ box.
3. Remember, SPSS does not like spaces in the variable names. A good example is to add the suffix ‘_avg‘ to the variable name to signify that it is a mean.
In the ‘Numeric Expression‘ box, enter the function ‘MEAN()‘.
Within the brackets of the mean function, enter all of the variables to be averaged, separating each one with a comma. Ensure the variables are entered exactly as they appear in the SPSS datasheet. To avoid errors with typos, you can also double-click on the variables listed in the box to the left of the window.
4. Finally, click the ‘Continue‘ button to compute the mean variable.