Bayesian analysis in SPSS and STATA: A comparative scenario for researchers

Statistical software has a key role in data analysis in the current era of data-driven research. The various statistical methods that cannot be used due to mathematical complications can be performed through software such as Bayesian analysis. This analysis became popular after the development of statistical software. The commonly used statistical software SPSS and STATA have some facilities for Bayesian Analysis. In Bayesian analysis, the population parameter itself is a random quantity following certain probability distribution. This prior distribution merges with the current data and becomes a posterior distribution of parameters, which is used for statistical inference. Bayesian analysis follows the same pattern in SPSS and STATA, and with similar prior, the posterior distribution is the same in both softwares. In comparison, STATA has more range of statistical analysis as compared to SPSS, but SPSS is easier to use. The STATA is recommended for statisticians, while SPSS is more useful for Bayesian researchers who are not experts in this field.