Likert Scale

The Likert scale, developed by Rensis Likert in 1932, is one of the most widely used rating scales in survey research. It asks respondents to indicate their level of agreement or satisfaction along a symmetric scale, such as "Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree."

Likert scales can be 5-point, 7-point, or even 10-point. Five-point scales are simpler and reduce cognitive load. Seven-point scales offer more granularity and may capture subtler differences in opinion. The choice depends on the context and the level of precision needed.

A key design consideration is whether to include a midpoint (neutral option). Including it allows respondents who genuinely have no opinion to express that, but it can also attract respondents who are simply avoiding a decision. Some researchers remove the midpoint to force a directional response.

When analyzing Likert scale data, treat the responses as ordinal (ranked) rather than interval (equally spaced). While it is common practice to calculate means from Likert data, strictly speaking, the distance between "Agree" and "Strongly Agree" may not be the same as between "Neutral" and "Agree." Top-box analysis (percentage selecting the top one or two options) is a statistically safer approach.