Life tables and survival analysis are crucial statistical tools that have been widely applied in various areas of research, particularly in medicine and clinical studies. They help predict survival probabilities over time as well as assess the impact of covariates on survival outcomes. In the present paper, the utility of both life tables and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to research in the social sciences is illustrated, with particular emphasis placed on their usefulness in analyses involving “censored” data as well as on their relatively straightforward application within the SPSS statistical software program. Additionally, it covers the premises, applications, and benefits of each of these statistical methods for analyzing time-to-event data. It goes on to provide examples of how these might be utilized for medical conditions, including brain tumors, liver cancer, and lung cancer. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of life tables and survival analysis in medicine, providing insights into survival rates and treatment efficacy.
Ali et al. (2025) studied this question.