Dummy Variables

My job is to create a dummy variable so that those who voted for the Labour Party are compared to a single reference group that includes all other voters.

1 = Conservative, 2 = Labour, 3 = Liberal Democrat, 4 = SNP, 5 = Plaid Cymru, 6 = Green Party, 7 = UKIP, 8 = BNP, 9 = Other

In this situation, would the reference group include {1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}

So, the dummy variable would be:

{2} -- > 1 (is Labour)

{1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9} -- > 0 (is not Labour)

Have I taken the right approach here? I am slightly confused because the reference group in this situation is included in the dummy variable. Usually, the reference group is not included because it is already assumed in the model.

Thanks!

Sounds ok, but I'm not sure what model you're talking about in the last sentance? What purpose are you using the Labour/Not Labour data for?

Multivariate Linear Regression in SPSS software.

Using the Transform>Decode into different variables function, I have to create a dummy variable to fit the criteria above.