Qualitative Variable:

A qualitative variable, also known as a categorical variable, is a type of variable that describes data in terms of qualities or characteristics rather than numerical values. It represents attributes, characteristics, or categories that cannot be measured on a numerical scale.

Qualitative variables are typically divided into two main subtypes:

Nominal Variable:

A nominal variable is a qualitative variable that consists of categories that have no inherent order or ranking. The categories are distinct and unrelated. Examples of nominal variables include gender (male/female), ethnicity (Caucasian/African-American/Asian), and eye color (blue/brown/green).

Ordinal Variable:

An ordinal variable is a qualitative variable that represents categories with a natural ordering or hierarchy. The categories have a meaningful order, but the differences between them may not be consistent. Examples of ordinal variables include educational levels (elementary school/middle school/high school/college), satisfaction ratings (very dissatisfied/dissatisfied/neutral/satisfied/very satisfied), and socioeconomic status (low/middle/high).