A Likert scale is a psychometric scale commonly used in survey research to measure attitudes, opinions, or perceptions. It was developed by Rensis Likert in 1932. The scale typically consists of a series of statements or items to which respondents are asked to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement on a predetermined scale.
The scale usually ranges from strongly agree to strongly disagree, with several intermediate options such as agree, neutral, and disagree. The responses are typically assigned numerical values, with higher numbers indicating stronger agreement or disagreement.
Likert scales are widely used in various fields including psychology, sociology, marketing, and education to measure attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of respondents towards specific topics or issues. They provide a quantitative way to assess subjective phenomena and can help researchers analyze and interpret the data collected from surveys.
A Likert scale is a survey rating scale commonly used to measure people’s attitudes, opinions, or perceptions on a specific topic. It is named after Rensis Likert, who introduced the method in 1932 .
Likert scales typically consist of a series of statements or questions followed by a set of response options that use a Likert scale format. The response options are ordered and labeled in a way that allows respondents to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement.
Here’s a typical example of a 5-point Likert scale:
- Strongly agree
- Agree
- Neutral
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree
Researchers can assign numerical values to each response option. For instance, in the example above, “Strongly agree” might be assigned a value of 5, “Agree” a value of 4, and so on. This allows researchers to quantify the responses and analyze the data statistically.
Likert scales can also have a different number of response options, such as a 4-point scale, 6-point scale, or even a 7-point scale. The choice of the number of response options depends on the specific question being asked and the desired level of detail in the data.
Here are some of the advantages of using Likert scales:
- Easy to use: Likert scales are easy for respondents to understand and complete, which can help to improve the response rate of a survey.
- Relatively reliable: Likert scales can provide reliable data if they are well-designed and used appropriately.
- Versatile: Likert scales can be used to measure a wide range of attitudes and opinions.
However, there are also some limitations to consider:
- Social desirability bias: Respondents may be more likely to choose response options that they believe are socially desirable.
- Central tendency bias: Respondents may be more likely to choose middle response options, even if they have a stronger opinion.
- Limited range of responses: Likert scales only allow respondents to choose from a limited set of response options.
Overall, Likert scales are a valuable tool for researchers who want to measure attitudes and opinions. However, it is important to be aware of the limitations of this type of scale when designing and interpreting survey data.