It is important to remember that the reader may not have the same understanding of the topic as you or the same knowledge about the countries being analysed.
Setting the context and bringing the reader with you are useful first steps in addressing your research question. Providing simple descriptive analysis of the situation relevant to the topic of interest helps the reader follow where you are going.
Before using any variable in analysis you should look at how it is distributed across the countries. Applying a "common sense" test is a good starting point for investigating any difficulties with the data. Does the distribution fit with your expectations? Are there similar patterns in countries that share a common language or that have similar characteristics? For example, does the distribution in the Nordic countries look similar or the Club Med countries? If there is an outlier, is this an outlier or an error?
The usual rule of thumb is that if it looks wrong then it probably is wrong! Satisfy yourself that any unexpected variation is real and not due to the survey process.
Aside from applying your common sense what external data can you use to check that the data is plausible? For example, if you think the variable of interest might be associated with age or with education then you can check that the distribution observed is not simply a result of the differences in the age and education profile of the country. Check the correlates in each country and compare with aggregate data available.
Deciding how to display your data will depend on what the data shows.
Using the same steps outlined in worked Example 7, produce a table showing response to the question "do you approve if healthy people use medicines to improve their sex life..." To find this data look in ESS Round 2, variable description > Health and Care Seeking > Approve if healthy people use medicines to improve sex life. You will need to register on line for ESS Data to complete this task.
Using the examples above produce graphs showing responses to the question "Citizens should not cheat on their taxes" before looking at our results. You will need to register on line for ESS Data to complete this task.
