distoutc and svydistoutc: help file to accompany Stata programmes for undertaking distributional analysis of categorical outcome variables

The programmes estimate and automatically save in the current directory two excel files distributional statistics for any categorical variable varname (e.g. employment status, poverty status etc) overall and for each of the groups identified by each variable included in the variable list varlist (typical variables that can be included in the variable list include gender, age group, socioeconomic status). Specifying the bygroup (groupvar) option performs the distributional analysis separately for each subgroup in groupvar. Both crosssectional and over time change analysis is undertaken by the programme. The cross-sectional analysis produces estimates of the proportion of the sample that falls in each category identified by the categorical variable varname for each of the group identified by the variable in the varlist and for each year included in the dataset, as well as differences in the relevant statistics between the different groups relative to the reference group for each variable in the varlist (along with their respective standard errors and p-values). The over-time analysis produces estimates of the change in the proportion of the population that falls in each category defined by the categorical variable for each year t relative to the previous year t-1 (along with the standard error and p-value of the changes). The over-time analysis also produces estimates (along with their standard errors and the corresponding p-values) of the across groups differences in the change in the proportion of the population that falls in each category defined by the categorical variable varname relative to the reference category for each of the subpopulations identified by the categories in each variable in the varlist. The programme also allows analysis to be undertaken by subpopulation groups allowing intersectional research. Both a non-survey design and survey design versions of the programme are available (distoutc and svdistouc respectively).