WHAT IS LINEAR REGRESSION?

Regression is a broad class of statistical models that is the foundation of data analysis and inference in the social sciences. Moreover, many contemporary statistical methods derive from the linear regression model. At its heart, regression describes systematic relationships between one or more predictor variables with (typically) one outcome. The flexibility of regression and its many extensions make it the primary statistical tool that social scientists use to model their substantive hypotheses with empirical data.

Linear regression, also known as simple regression, is a statistical concept often applied to economic and psychological data. While regression analysis seeks to define the relationship between two or more variables, in linear regression — a type of regression analysis — there are only two: the explained variable, represented by y, and the explanatory variable, represented by x.