Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA)

Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) is a multivariate ordination technique designed to explore and visualize associations among three or more categorical variables simultaneously. By mapping both observations and variable categories onto a shared low-dimensional space, MCA reveals hidden structure in nominal or ordinal survey data. The method was comprehensively systematized and extended by Michael Greenacre and Jorg Blasius in their 2006 edited volume, building on earlier geometric data analysis traditions developed in France by Jean-Paul Benzecri during the 1960s and 1970s.