Attribute

One definition of attribute is a characteristic that a respondent, subject, or case does or does not have. A binary attribute variable has two values: the presence of the attribute and its absence. For example, adults in a survey may have the attribute of being married (score = 1) or not (score = 0). Another definition, from psychological or marketing research, refers to attributes as scalable items. In decision research, for example, attributes may refer to goals or criteria relevant to the decision maker. To illustrate, in deciding on a new car, the buyer may be faced with three alternatives and have to weigh attributes such as fuel efficiency, cost, and safety.