Bivariate data deals with two variables that can change and are compared to find relationships. If one variable is influencing another variable, then you will have bivariate data that has an independent and a dependent variable. This is because one variable depends on the other for change.
The primary purpose of bivariate data is to compare the two sets of data to find a relationship between the two variables. Remember, if one variable influences the change in another variable, then you have an independent and dependent variable.
On the other hand, univariate data is when one variable is analyzed to describe a scenario or experiment . Univariate data only has one data set with one variable. The primary function or purpose of univariate data is to describe an experiment.
If Mindy wanted to collect data on the ages of the students in her class, that would be univariate data because she is only looking at one data set with one variable. Second, bivariate data and univariate data serve two different functions or purposes.
Lastly, when a bivariate data set shows a relationship, it can be either a positive or negative correlation. A positive correlation is where the dependent variables and independent variables in a data set increase together.