About Likert Scales

• who invented the Likert Scale.• debates about Likert Scales.• some tips for how to create your Likert Scale.

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In 1932, Rensis Likert invented a means of measuring responses to a survey.

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He showed how asking respondents to place themselves on a scale of favor/disfavor with a neutral midpoint worked better than other means of measuring responses.

The Likert scale has since been adopted throughout the world.

The neutral midpoint of Likert’s five-point scale is a matter of considerable debate.

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The debate about the midpoint.

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Although Likert advocated for the use of a 5-point scale, researchers have since argued for more points to increase the reliability and validity of the scale.

Their arguments are based on findings from studies about how respondents choose items on the scale.

What research has shown about whyrespondents chose the mid-point.

• Respondents may be unmotivated to make an effort to choose anything else.

• Respondents may be ambivalent.

• Respondents may be reluctant to voice a socially undesirable response.

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Based on these findings, some researchersadvocate eliminating the midpoint or adding more items to the scale.

Examples:• Add labels only on either end of the scale.

• Change the labels to eliminate the midpoint.

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Labeling end points only or labeling all points is also a matter of debate.

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There  seems  to  be  a  pattern  here.

What  does  the  research  show?

What research has shown about labeling.

• Labeling End Points Only: respondents are more attracted to labeled points, so just labeling the end points may result in a bias towards extreme answers.

• Labeling All Points: respondents are more attracted to intermediate options, so it can lower extremeness of responses, which is good.

But, it may also increase levels of positivity bias, the tendency to respond with a positive answer, which is not good.

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Even the direction of labels/numbers is debated. Should 1 start the scale or should the last number and how many items 5, 6, 7 more??

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Good  grief.

Maybe  they  should  seek  counseling.

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Hey  Karen,  thanks  for  that,  but  we  are  now  thoroughly  confused.

Which  scale  do  you  want  us  to  use?

• In 1956, a researcher named George Miller conducted some experiments on short-term memory.

• He published the results in a paper: The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information.

• His experiments lead him to conclude we can only retain 5 to 9 items in our short term memory.

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It’s your choice, but here are some things to think about.

His paper is cited as the reason why Bell Telephone chose to issue only seven digit phone numbers.

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Call  me  back.  My  number  is  1234567

Tip #1: Keep it Simple

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Do you really want to deal with interpreting the nuances of these scales? Just sayin.....

Those  are  just  plain  scary.

Tip #2: Be consistent

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• Use the same scale for all criteria statements. • Don’t switch from a five-point to a seven-point and then

to a four-point.

• Keep the positions of the value labels the same.• If you start with negative type value labels on the left of

the scale (levels of disagree) and positive on the right (levels of agree), don’t change the positions.

• Example of inconsistent value labels:

Tip #3: Use Numbers

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• A Likert Scale is not a Likert Scale unless it has numbers.

• That’s the whole point of using it.

• You want to connect qualitative criteria statements to a quantitative measure.

Tip #4: Compose criteria statements.

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• A criteria statement has to be written in a way that a respondent (in this project the respondent is you) can answer by rating the level of agreement with that statement.

• Ease of use.

• I was able to complete the task without consulting the product’s HelpSection.