How do I create a stacked bar chart with a complex dataset in R Studio with ggplot2?
08:21 12 May 2026

My dataset, very roughly, looks like this:

Variable 1 Group 1a) Group 1b) Group 2a) ...(up to 9)
yes 0 ... ... ...
no 1
yes 1
no 0
... ...

I would like to create a stacked bar chart with the groups on the x-Axis, Variable one being stacked (yes/no) and the count on the y-Axis. It is to illustrate the relationship between working, being supported by ones parents and having time for leisure activities. Example Group 1a stands for "Yes, I have time for leisure and my parents support me financially" while Group 1b) stands for "Yes, I have time for leisure and my parents don't support me financially" and on it goes. There are 9 groups in total. Variable 1 are the answers to the question "Do you work?" in a yes or no format. I am trying to follow this code example online:

#create data frame
df <- data.frame(team=rep(c('A', 'B', 'C'), each=3),
                 position=rep(c('Guard', 'Forward', 'Center'), times=3),
                 points=c(14, 8, 8, 16, 3, 7, 17, 22, 26))

#view data frame
df

  team position points
1    A    Guard     14
2    A  Forward      8
3    A   Center      8
4    B    Guard     16
5    B  Forward      3
6    B   Center      7
7    C    Guard     17
8    C  Forward     22
9    C   Center     26

library(ggplot2)

ggplot(df, aes(fill=position, y=points, x=team)) + 
  geom_bar(position='stack', stat='identity')

stacked bar chart

see link (https://www.statology.org/stacked-barplot-in-r/)

But I don't know what my corresponding group would be for "points", since these would be the values (0/1) in each group. I appreciate any help you can give me. I am fairly new to R Studio and I am still struggling with finding my way.

r stacked-bar-chart