In Stata, how do I recode an existing variable?

Use the recode command to recode variables in Stata. This command requires a list of variables to be recoded with the rules associated with that change.

Suppose you have a variable q1 that contains integers ranging from 1 to 7. The following example collapses the values into three categories:

In the example above, the values of 1 and 2 become 1; 3, 4, and 5 are changed into 2; and 4 and 5 are coded as 3. Note that the 3/5 refers to values ranging from 3 through 5 (the beginning and the end of the range).

Once the recode command is executed, you may not recover the original values. If you want to recode and store changes into a new variable new_q1, use the gen() option.

For information about where to find statistical and mathematical software manuals at Indiana University Bloomington and at IUPUI, see the UITS Stat/Math Center Software Manuals and Documents page.

For more information about statistical and mathematical software, email the UITS Stat/Math Center, visit the center's web page, or phone 812-855-4724 (IUB) or 317-278-4740 (IUPUI). The center is located in Bloomington at 410 N. Park Avenue, and is open for consultation by appointment Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

Also see:

• In Stata, how do I read an ASCII text file?
• In Stata, how do I create a new variable based on existing data?
• Finding help for statistical and mathematical computing at IU