What does a contingency table or cross tabulation display?

A contingency table, or cross tabulation, is a statistical tool used primarily to display the relationship between two or more categorical variables. When it comes to analyzing binary variables, a contingency table provides a convenient way to see how they interact with one another. For instance, if you are exploring the relationship between gender (male/female) and preference for a specific type of property (yes/no), the contingency table allows you to easily observe the frequency of occurrences for each combination.

This method can facilitate insights into how one variable affects another and supports statistical analyses such as chi-square tests to determine whether a significant association exists between the variables. In essence, contingency tables are invaluable in research for understanding relationships and patterns, particularly when handling categorical data.