{"id":14040,"date":"2015-09-28T08:56:08","date_gmt":"2015-09-28T15:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/?p=14040"},"modified":"2023-08-23T06:00:02","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T06:00:02","slug":"finding-the-right-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/finding-the-right-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding the right balance in your measure scales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/article\/likert-scale-survey-questions.html\">Likert Scale<\/a> and other scales designed to measure attitudes, such as satisfaction, are ubiquitous in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/what-is-market-research\/\">market research<\/a>. They have their uses that is for sure, but there are a few caveats one should be aware of. In this post we will start this review by looking at number of scale points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As researchers we have to maintain the balance between our client\u2019s need for information and our respondents\u2019 valuable time. In short, think about the scales you plan to use and ensure they are the right ones for the job. One of the first items to consider is should our scales have an even or odd number of points? Scales with an even number of points remove the \u201cneutral\u201d option \u2013 they force an opinion. This can make it more difficult on the respondent. Even scales are acceptable when we need an opinion and when we honestly believe the respondent can provide one. Testing imagery, such as a logo, is a valid use case for even scales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scales with an odd number of points (5, 7, 9, or 11) provide the respondent with a soft landing place if they truly do not have an opinion. Unlike the previous example, if you are asking a respondent to estimate the likelihood they will make a significant purchase during a specified time period \u2013 they may not truly know. In this case a soft landing neutral (or \u201cunsure\u201d) would be appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t<div class=\"banner-section wf-section\" lang=\"\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"right-column-container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bannerbg white\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"h1-2\">Create memorable experiences based on real-time data, insights and advanced analysis.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#userliteForm\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"button w-button\">Request Demo<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"userlite-modal modal fade\" id=\"userliteForm\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" style=\"display: none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"modal-dialog\" role=\"document\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"modal-content\" role=\"document\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"modal-body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"modal-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"material-icons\">close<\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"contact-us-form-wrapper contact-box\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"userlite-form-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/userlite-form-blog-en.html?product=Surveys&amp;referralurl=https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14040&amp;lang=en&amp;cat=survey-software\" style=\"display: block;\" ><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"demo-form-wrapper success-message-div\" style=\"display:none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"success-message-para\"><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to measuring agreement we have to consider the possibility that respondents tend to agree more often than they would otherwise. This is known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/acquiescence-bias\/\">acquiescence bias<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/what-is-research\/\">Research<\/a> on research shows that certain populations (lower education and lower-income) and some cultures are less likely to disagree. This bias alone has turned some researchers away from agreement scales altogether. At the minimum, you should test for the risk of bias in populations of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are drawn to agreement scales consider an odd number of points, unless you are working with imagery and need a concrete decision. From a bias perspective test data results across key populations to assess the potential for acquiescence. If the results prove significant then they should be noted in your findings. From a question design standpoint, you can lead with \u201cTo what extent do you agree or disagree with the following items,\u201d as a means of reminding the respondent that it is okay to disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In future posts, we will examine other potential concerns with scales and alternatives to common agreement scales. Finally, we invite you to read our article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/population-vs-sample\/\">Sample vs Population<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Likert Scale and other scales designed to measure attitudes, such as satisfaction, are ubiquitous in market research. They have their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":14042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[187],"tags":[438,539,538],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Finding the right balance in your measure scales | QuestionPro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Likert Scale and other scales designed to measure attitudes, such as satisfaction, are ubiquitous in market research. They have their uses that is for\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/finding-the-right-balance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding the right balance in your measure scales | QuestionPro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Likert Scale and other scales designed to measure attitudes, such as satisfaction, are ubiquitous in market research. 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