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Cited by 1,540

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 9 of the 9 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Fotheringham, A S, Wong, D W S·1991·Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space

Abstract

In this paper the examination of the modifiable areal unit problem is extended into multivariate statistical analysis. In an investigation of the parameter estimates from a multiple linear regression model and a multiple logit regression model, conclusions are drawn about the sensitivity of such estimates to variations in scale and zoning systems. The modifiable areal unit problem is shown to be essentially unpredictable in its intensity and effects in multivariate statistical analysis and is therefore a much greater problem than in univariate or bivariate analysis. The results of this analysis are rather depressing in that they provide strong evidence of the unreliability of any multivariate analysis undertaken with data from areal units. Given that such analyses can only be expected to increase with the imminent availability of new census data both in the United Kingdom and in the USA, and the current proliferation of GIS (geographical information system) technology which permits even more access to aggregated data, this paper serves as a topical warning.

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Crossref · 10.1068/a231025

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Metadata

Authors
Fotheringham, A. S., & Wong, D. W. S.
Venue
Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space
Published
1991-07
Volume
23
Issue
7
Pages
1025-1044
ISSN
  • 0308-518X (ISSN-L)
  • 1472-3409
OpenAlex
W2026169687
Cited by
1,540
References
9
FWCI
20.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in Multivariate Statistical Analysis. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1068/a231025
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Fotheringham, A. S., & Wong, D. W. S. (1991). The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in Multivariate Statistical Analysis. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. https://doi.org/10.1068/a231025

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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.