Definition Cross-sectional data
Cross-sectional data is the result of a data collection, carried out at a single point in time on a statistical unit. With cross-sectional data, we are not interested in the change of data over time, but in the current, valid opinion of the respondents about a question in a survey.
Typical examples are daily surveys on current topics in newspapers or on television. The opposite of cross-sectional data is longitudinal data.
Please note that the definitions in our statistics encyclopedia are simplified explanations of terms. Our goal is to make the definitions accessible for a broad audience; thus it is possible that some definitions do not adhere entirely to scientific standards.