scf (version 1.0.5)

scf_mean: Estimate Mean in Multiply-Imputed SCF Data

Description

Returns the population-level estimate of a continuous variable's weighted mean across the Survey's five implicates. Use this operation to derive an estimate of a population's 'typical' or 'average' score on a continuous variable.

Usage

scf_mean(scf, var, by = NULL, verbose = FALSE)

Value

A list of class "scf_mean" with:

results

Pooled estimates with standard errors and range across implicates. One row per group, or one row total.

imps

A named list of implicate-level estimates.

aux

Variable and group metadata.

Arguments

scf

A scf_mi_survey object created with scf_load(). Must contain five replicate-weighted implicates.

var

A one-sided formula identifying the continuous variable to summarize (e.g., ~networth).

by

Optional one-sided formula specifying a discrete grouping variable for stratified means.

verbose

Logical. If TRUE, include implicate-level results in print output. Default is FALSE.

Details

The mean is a measure of central tendency that represents the arithmetic average of a distribution. It is most appropriate when the distribution is symmetric and not heavily skewed. Unlike the median, the mean is sensitive to extreme values, which may distort interpretation in the presence of outliers. Use this function to describe the “typical” value of a continuous variable in the population or within subgroups.

See Also

scf_median(), scf_percentile(), scf_xtab(), scf_plot_dist()

Examples

# Do not implement these lines in real analysis:
# Use functions `scf_download()` and `scf_load()`
td <- tempfile("mean_")
dir.create(td)

src <- system.file("extdata", "scf2022_mock_raw.rds", package = "scf")
file.copy(src, file.path(td, "scf2022.rds"), overwrite = TRUE)
scf2022 <- scf_load(2022, data_directory = td)

# Example for real analysis: Estimate means
scf_mean(scf2022, ~networth)
scf_mean(scf2022, ~networth, by = ~edcl)

# Do not implement these lines in real analysis: Cleanup for package check
unlink(td, recursive = TRUE, force = TRUE)