Inequality in categorical models
Example 4.2.b of Mize and Han (2025)
Because the statistic is built from predictions, it works the same way after a binary logit, where the predictions are probabilities. This example summarizes several nominal and binary predictors of conservative identification at once: gender, race-ethnicity, and subjective class.
use "https://tdmize.github.io/data/data/cda_gss", clear(cda_gss.dta | GSS 1972-2021 CDA - Categorical Data Analysis | date created 2023)
keep if year == 2021(64,814 observations deleted)
drop if missing(conserv, race4, woman, class, age)(424 observations deleted)
.
logit conserv i.woman i.race4 i.classIteration 0: Log likelihood = -2250.6348
Iteration 1: Log likelihood = -2208.9154
Iteration 2: Log likelihood = -2208.4707
Iteration 3: Log likelihood = -2208.4707
Logistic regression Number of obs = 3,608
LR chi2(7) = 84.33
Prob > chi2 = 0.0000
Log likelihood = -2208.4707 Pseudo R2 = 0.0187
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conserv | Coefficient Std. err. z P>|z| [95% conf. interval]
---------------+----------------------------------------------------------------
woman |
Women | -0.326 0.073 -4.477 0.000 -0.469 -0.183
|
race4 |
Black | -0.841 0.140 -6.006 0.000 -1.115 -0.567
Other | -0.420 0.166 -2.527 0.011 -0.745 -0.094
Hispanic | -0.549 0.125 -4.374 0.000 -0.794 -0.303
|
class |
working class | -0.053 0.141 -0.379 0.705 -0.329 0.222
middle class | -0.019 0.138 -0.139 0.890 -0.290 0.251
upper class | -0.131 0.218 -0.601 0.548 -0.557 0.296
|
_cons | -0.406 0.138 -2.953 0.003 -0.676 -0.137
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meinequality woman race4 classME Inequality Estimates (N = 3608)
| Estimate Std. err. z P>|z|
-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
ME Inequality |
woman | 0.070 0.016 4.466 0.000
race4 | 0.108 0.013 7.991 0.000
class | 0.012 0.017 0.701 0.484
Class has no overall effect on conservative identification. Racial-ethnic groups differ by about 11 percentage points on average. For a binary variable such as woman the ME inequality is simply the absolute value of its marginal effect, which puts binary and multi-category predictors on the same footing for comparison.