Likert scale: everything you need to know

Introduction

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When it comes to conducting online studies in France, the use of Likert scale is unavoidable. Whether you are a novice or looking to deepen your skills, this article will guide you through the key aspects of this measurement method. We will explore its use, origins, concrete examples, including The 5-point Likert scale, as well as its relevance for questionnaires and satisfaction assessment. You will also discover practical advice for optimal use.

The Likert scale is an essential tool in the field of online studies, allowing you to gather quantitative data on the opinion and satisfaction of respondents. Before we dive into the details, let's ask a few questions to put you in context:

Have you already filled out a questionnaire on the Likert scale online?

Do you know how interpreting the results Of such surveying ?

Do you understand the importance of this method for businesses and researchers in France?

So we are going to answer these questions throughout this article. 💡

Likert scale: definition

What is the Likert scale? 🤔

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The Likert scale is A measurement tool commonly used in online surveys and polls. It allows respondents to express their opinion Or their Level of satisfaction through an evaluation on a Predefined response scale. Responses are generally expressed on a scale ranging from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree.”

Respondents are invited to Indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with specific statements. This method allows Quantifying opinions and attitudes in a structured way.

A practical example

Let's say you Do you want to assess the satisfaction of your customers with respect to your customer service. 👥 You could ask a question such as: “How satisfied are you with our customer service?” ”. Respondents have a response scale ranging from “Not at all satisfied” to “Very satisfied”, with intermediate options.

The origin of the Likert scale

The story behind the Likert scale 🔍

The Likert scale takes its name from its inventor, Rensis Likert, an American psychologist. In the 1930s, Likert was looking for a solution for Measuring satisfaction and opinions more accurately than existing methods. He developed this scale for fix this problem.

Likert designed the scale using statements to which respondents assigned numerical values based on whether they agreed or disagreed. These statements were worded in such a way as to avoid ambiguous answers.

For example, instead of asking “are you happy with our customer service?” , he preferred to ask questions like “How satisfied are you with our customer service?” ”.

The success of this method has revolutionized research. by offering a reliable way to quantify participants' responses. Today, the Likert scale is widely used in online studies in France and around the world.

Likert scale: what are its advantages?

The benefits of the Likert scale

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The Likert scale presents numerous advantages that make it a valuable tool for businesses:

• Reliability 🤝

It allows you to measure accurately Level of satisfaction or opinion on a given topic, thus reducing the ambiguity of answers. The answers are structured, making it easy to interpret the results.

• Forced choice 💪

Even Likert scales generally remove the intermediate option “Neither agree nor disagree.” This method is sometimes called a “forced choice” because the neutral option is not available.. This encourages respondents to provide strong answers., which can be helpful in getting clear opinions.

• Middle option 🙂

Odd Likert scales include a median response, often labeled “Neither agree nor disagree” or “Neutral.” This allows respondents to give an intermediate response, which is valuable when opinions are not settled.

• Simplicity ✅

The Likert scale is simple and easy for participants to answer. The statements are generally short and formulated in a clear way, which facilitates participation.

Likert scale: what are its limits?

Limits of the Likert scale

Despite its advantages, the Likert scale is not free of limitations and important considerations:

• Survey bias ✔️

The participants may influence their responses for a variety of reasons, which can introduce biases in the results. For example, they could give socially acceptable answers rather than honest answers.

• Even scale: “forcing the choice” 🎯

The paired Likert scales Remove the neutral option, which can sometimes force respondents to choose an answer even if they don't have a strong opinion. This can result in artificially polarized responses.

• Odd scale: the risk of the “safe haven” 📢

Odd Likert scales offer a neutral option, but it may encourage participants to choose this default answer. This allows them to avoid taking a stand, which can reduce data quality.

• The impossibility of evaluating certain attributes ❌

Some questions or attributes do not lend themselves well to evaluation on a Likert scale. Thus, complex or subjective questions may be difficult to measure appropriately.

• Confusion in the face of too many options 🤔

A Likert scale with a large number of options The response may be confusing for participants. If they are faced with too many choices, they may have a hard time choosing the answer that best reflects their opinion.

Likert scale: examples and uses in polls

Examples of Likert scales

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The Likert scale is commonly used in a variety of contexts and is sometimes used in a 5-point Likert scale format. It can be divided into two main types: even Likert scale and odd Likert scale.

• Likert scale pair

Even Likert scales remove the neutral option and encourage clear-cut responses. They are generally composed of four or eight response options. Here are some examples of questions with four options:

“How satisfied are you with our product? ”

“How much would you recommend our service to a friend? ”

Possible answers generally include “Not at all satisfied,” “Unsatisfied,” “Satisfied,” and “Very satisfied.” The eight-option ladders add intermediate levels.

To illustrate this, here is a screenshot of a four-point question in one of our surveys:

• Odd Likert scale

Unlike even scales, odd Likert scales give respondents the choice to provide a neutral response. They are generally composed of five, seven, or nine points. Here are some examples of five-point questions:

• “To what extent do you agree with the company's policy? ”

• “How attractive do you find our website? ”

Possible answers generally include “Strongly disagree,” “Somewhat disagree,” “Not agree or disagree,” “Somewhat agree,” and “Strongly agree.”

Context for using Likert scales

Likert scales are widely used in a variety of fields to gather data on opinion, satisfaction, and other variables. For example, in our recent study on The French and recycling, we used Likert scales to assess the attitude of French people towards recycling practices.

Here are a few more examples of how they can be used:

• Measuring customer satisfaction : Businesses use Likert scales to assess customer satisfaction with their products or services. This data can be crucial for marketing studies, including ad hoc marketing studies, which are specially designed to answer specific questions related to customer satisfaction.

• Test consumer feedback : Businesses use Likert scales to assess how consumers react to new products or services.

• Feedback on events : event organizers gather opinions using these scales to improve future events.

• Partnerships : businesses use Likert scales to assess the satisfaction of their partners or customers.

• Needs assessments : Businesses use these scales to understand the needs and preferences of respondents in a variety of areas.

Likert scale: our advice for using it well ❓

To maximize the effectiveness of the Likert scale in your Likert scale questionnaire, follow these practical tips:

Use words instead of numbers for answers

When formulating your questions, use words to define the possible answers. You could use phrases instead of numbers like “Not at all satisfied,” “Unsatisfied,” “Satisfied,” and “Very satisfied.” This helps respondents understand and interpret the statements.

Choose an odd number of possible answers

When choosing the number of answer options, generally go for an odd number, such as 5, 7, or 9. This often includes a neutral option, in the middle, to allow participants to express balanced opinions. Intermediate responses play a critical role in capturing the nuances in participants' opinions.

Limit the number of response options

Don't overload respondents with a large number of answer options. A participant may have trouble defining their point of view on a scale with too many options. So limit the choices for clearer answers.

Be comprehensive

Make sure that the Likert scales include all possible answers and that the statements cover all aspects of the subject you are evaluating.

In summary

The Likert scale is a powerful tool for measuring opinions, attitudes, and satisfaction in a structured way. Whether you want to gather customer satisfaction data, analyze consumer feedback, or assess the quality of your products and services, the Likert scale is your ally. If you want to explore how Discurv can help you maximize the use of the Likert scale in your surveys, don't hesitate to contact us!

Frequently asked questions

Why use a Likert scale?

You can use a Likert scale to measure opinions, attitudes, or levels of satisfaction in a structured way. It is an effective tool for collecting quantitative data on a variety of topics, such as customer satisfaction, consumer feedback, or product and service evaluations. In addition, it offers a structure that minimizes ambiguity in responses, thus ensuring more reliable data collection. This therefore allows businesses to make informed decisions based on quantitative data.

How do you analyze a Likert scale?

Analyzing a Likert scale involves grouping and calculating the responses collected. Key steps include:

• Calculating descriptive statistics, such as mean, median, and standard deviation, to get an overview of responses.
• Grouping responses into categories if necessary, such as grouping “Agree” and “Strongly Agree” responses into a “Agree” category.
• The use of graphs, such as histograms or pie charts, to visualize results.

• Conducting advanced statistical analyses, such as correlation tests or variance analyses, to further explore relationships between variables.

Qualitative or quantitative Likert scale?

The Likert scale is primarily used as a quantitative measurement tool. Each answer on the scale is given a numerical value, which allows calculations and numerical data to be obtained. However, it can also provide qualitative information when participants have the opportunity to add additional comments or explanations. For the most part, it is considered to be a quantitative tool.

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