Chi-Square Test Calculator for Crosstabs
Paste a survey crosstab to test independence: chi-square, p-value, Cramér's V, expected counts and adjusted residuals that show which cells drive the result.
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How to use the chi-square calculator
- Copy a crosstab of counts (not percentages) from Excel or your tabulation software and paste it. Row and column labels are detected automatically.
- Read the verdict, p-value and Cramér's V for the table as a whole.
- Look at the column-percentage table: arrows mark the cells that are significantly higher or lower than expected.
Use Goodness of fit to test whether one distribution matches an expected one, for example whether your sample's regional split matches the census.
What the chi-square test tells you
The chi-square test of independence asks whether two categorical variables are related, such as brand preference and country. It compares the counts you observed with the counts you would expect if there were no relationship. A small p-value means the pattern is unlikely to be chance.
The overall test doesn't tell you where the differences are. That is what the adjusted residuals are for: values beyond ±1.96 mark cells that differ significantly from expectation at 95% confidence. Cramér's V tells you how strong the relationship is, from 0 (none) to 1 (perfect).
Worked example
Channel preference by age among 190 shoppers:
| Under 35 | 35–54 | 55+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online | 48 | 30 | 12 |
| In store | 22 | 35 | 43 |
χ² = 27.1 with 2 degrees of freedom, p
χ² = 28.9 with 2 degrees of freedom, p < 0.0001 and Cramér's V = 0.39, a moderate-to-strong link.lt; 0.0001 and Cramér's V = 0.38, a moderate link. Under-35s over-index on online and over-55s on in-store. Press Example to load it.
Assumptions to check
- Use counts, not percentages or weighted figures. For weighted data, divide counts by the design effect first.
- Each respondent appears in one cell only. Multi-response questions break this rule.
- Expected counts should be 5 or more in at least 80% of cells. Otherwise, combine categories, or use Fisher's exact test for 2×2 tables.
Frequently asked questions
What is a significant chi-square value?
It depends on the degrees of freedom. For a 2×2 table the 95% critical value is 3.84; for a 3×4 table (6 df) it is 12.59. The calculator shows the critical value for your table.
Chi-square or z-test?
For a single 2×2 comparison they give the same answer (χ² = z²). Use the chi-square test for larger tables, then the significance calculator for specific pairs.
What does Cramér's V mean?
It is an effect size for crosstabs. Roughly: under 0.1 negligible, 0.1–0.2 weak, 0.2–0.4 moderate, above 0.4 strong.
Need the respondents, not just the numbers?
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Check feasibilityLink to this tool
Free to use in proposals, courses and articles. If it helped, a link back is appreciated:
<a href="https://globalvoxpopuli.com/tools/chi-square-calculator/">Chi-Square Test Calculator</a> by Global Vox Populi