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Glam Fame Journal

What does it mean if my correlation is negative?

Author

Andrew Rivera

Updated on February 28, 2026

What does it mean if my correlation is negative?

A negative, or inverse correlation, between two variables, indicates that one variable increases while the other decreases, and vice-versa.

What does bivariate correlation tell us?

Simple bivariate correlation is a statistical technique that is used to determine the existence of relationships between two different variables (i.e., X and Y). It shows how much X will change when there is a change in Y.

What does a negative R value mean?

A negative r values indicates that as one variable increases the other variable decreases, and an r of -1 indicates that knowing the value of one variable allows perfect prediction of the other. A correlation coefficient of 0 indicates no relationship between the variables (random scatter of the points).

Which of the following indicates a strong negative correlation?

When the r value is closer to +1 or -1, it indicates that there is a stronger linear relationship between the two variables. A correlation of -0.97 is a strong negative correlation while a correlation of 0.10 would be a weak positive correlation.

How do you interpret a negative correlation coefficient?

A negative (inverse) correlation occurs when the correlation coefficient is less than 0. This is an indication that both variables move in the opposite direction. In short, any reading between 0 and -1 means that the two securities move in opposite directions.

How do you tell if there is a positive or negative correlation?

When the y variable tends to increase as the x variable increases, we say there is a positive correlation between the variables. When the y variable tends to decrease as the x variable increases, we say there is a negative correlation between the variables.

Why do we use bivariate correlation?

You can use a bivariate Pearson Correlation to test whether there is a statistically significant linear relationship between height and weight, and to determine the strength and direction of the association.

What does a negative Spearman correlation mean?

Interpreting Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient A negative correlation signifies that as one variable increases, the other tends to decrease. Values close to -1 or +1 represent stronger relationships than values closer to zero.

What is the difference between positive negative and no correlation?

If the correlation coefficient is greater than zero, it is a positive relationship. Conversely, if the value is less than zero, it is a negative relationship. A value of zero indicates that there is no relationship between the two variables.

What does bivariate mean in statistics?

Bivariate statistics is a type of inferential statistics that deals with the relationship between two variables. When bivariate statistics is employed to examine a relationship between two variables, bivariate data is used. Bivariate data consists of data collected from a sample on two different variables.

How do you analyze bivariate correlation?

To run the bivariate Pearson Correlation, click Analyze > Correlate > Bivariate. Select the variables Height and Weight and move them to the Variables box. In the Correlation Coefficients area, select Pearson. In the Test of Significance area, select your desired significance test, two-tailed or one-tailed.