If I had to pick a single go-to graph for categorical data, it would be the horizontal bar chart, which flips the vertical version on its side. Why? Because it is extremely easy to read. The horizontal bar chart is especially useful if your category names are long, as the text is written from left to right, as most audiences read, making your graph legible for your audience. Also, because of the way we typically process information—starting at top left and making z’s with our eyes across the screen or page—the structure of the horizontal bar chart is such that our eyes hit the category names
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Horizontal bar graph = Go to graph for categorical data.
