
What statistical analysis do I use for a Likert scale?
What statistical analysis should I use for Likert scale data? For ordinal data (individual Likert-scale questions), use non-parametric tests such as Spearman's correlation or chi-square test for independence. For interval data (overall Likert scale scores), use parametric tests such as Pearson's r correlation or t-tests.
How to analyze Likert scale data?
Rather than analyzing the individual items, Likert combined the individual items via summation or taking the arithmetic mean. By taking the sum or arithmetic mean of the responses to a set of items, Likert scales might arguably be an interval-level measure under Stevens’ measurement framework.
Is the Likert scale an interval measurement?
The Likert scale is widely used in social work research, and is commonly constructed with four to seven points. It is usually treated as an interval scale, but strictly speaking it is an ordinal scale, where arithmetic operations cannot be conducted.
What are the assumption for Likert type rating scales?
These ordinal scales measure levels of agreement/disagreement. A Likert-type scale assumes that the strength/intensity of experience is linear, i.e. on a continuum from strongly agree to strongly disagree, and makes the assumption that attitudes can be measured.

Is a Likert scale nominal or ordinal?
ordinal scaleThe Likert scale is widely used in social work research, and is commonly constructed with four to seven points. It is usually treated as an interval scale, but strictly speaking it is an ordinal scale, where arithmetic operations cannot be conducted.
What type of measurement scale is Likert?
A Likert scale is an ordinal scale with five response categories, which is used to order a list of attributes from the best to the least. This scale uses adverbs of degree like very strongly, highly, etc. to indicate the different levels.
Why is Likert scale ordinal?
Individual Likert-type questions are generally considered ordinal data, because the items have clear rank order, but don't have an even distribution. Overall Likert scale scores are sometimes treated as interval data.
Is a Likert scale nominal?
a likert scale could never be considered as nominal. it's in the definition of any scale in the social sciences that their purpose is to measure and order something. so any scale has to be at least ordinal.
Is a scale ordinal or interval?
Nominal scale is a naming scale, where variables are simply “named” or labeled, with no specific order. Ordinal scale has all its variables in a specific order, beyond just naming them. Interval scale offers labels, order, as well as, a specific interval between each of its variable options.
Is rating scale ordinal or interval?
The standard survey rating scale is an interval scale. When you are asked to rate your satisfaction with a piece of software on a 7 point scale, from Dissatisfied to Satisfied, you are using an interval scale.
Are Likert scales ordinal or continuous?
ordinalthe simple answer is that Likert is always ordinal but generally it depends on how you want to look at the data and what is your approach and assumptions about the results. you can also treat it as an interval scale. however, the scale is ordinal, the variable can be assumed or treated as continuous.
Is Likert scale nominal or ordinal in SPSS?
ordinal dataThe data produced by Likert type items are, strictly speaking, ordinal data. That means that they can tell us how to rank responses (strongly agree is 'more' agreement than agree) , but they do not give us information about the distance between them (strongly agree is not twice as much agreement as agree).
Is Agree Disagree nominal or ordinal?
In some cases, the measurement scale for data is ordinal, but the variable is treated as continuous. For example, a Likert scale that contains five values - strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, and strongly disagree - is ordinal.
What type of data is a 1 5 scale?
Ordinal Scale: All the data points from the ordered set falls in this category. Ex: Ratings on a 1–5 scale (5 being highest and 1 being lowest). Here the order of the set is fixed, but no arithmetic operation can be performed such as we know, rating 4 is better than 2, but two 2 ratings cannot be equaled to rating 4.
Is a Likert scale categorical?
For Likert-scale, you first establish what scores will fall in your "named" categories 1-Strongly agree, 2-Agree, 3-Neither agree or disagree, 4-Disagree, and 5-Strongly disagree - hence the Likert scale becomes both categorical (named/nominal) and continuous (because it has categories with defined values).
Is a Likert scale quantitative or qualitative?
QuantitativeAre Likert Scales Quantitative or Qualitative? Likert scales give quantitative value to qualitative data. For example, it may be designed to measure how much a person agrees with a statement regarding a product's value and assigns a data point to it.
Is Likert scale nominal ordinal or scale in SPSS?
ordinalLikert scales are generally ordinal but they are often treated as interval data for the purposes of regression analysis in SPSS (Nunnally & Bernstein Psychometric Theory 3rd Edition 1994). .
Is a Likert scale categorical or quantitative?
For Likert-scale, you first establish what scores will fall in your "named" categories 1-Strongly agree, 2-Agree, 3-Neither agree or disagree, 4-Disagree, and 5-Strongly disagree - hence the Likert scale becomes both categorical (named/nominal) and continuous (because it has categories with defined values).
What is Likert 5 point scale?
A type of psychometric response scale in which responders specify their level of agreement to a statement typically in five points: (1) Strongly disagree; (2) Disagree; (3) Neither agree nor disagree; (4) Agree; (5) Strongly agree.
Is a 7 point Likert scale ordinal?
Developed in 1932 by Rensis Likert1 to measure attitudes, the typical Likert scale is a 5- or 7-point ordinal scale used by respondents to rate the degree to which they agree or disagree with a statement (table).
Why use Likert scales?
This is the reason why Likert scales are often used to collect data in psychological research.
What can Likert scales ask for?
Likert scales can be used to ask for a wide range of attitudes besides agreement. In addition to the examples above, Likert items can ask about how frequently an individual does something (endpoints for a frequency item would be “Very frequently” and “Never”), how important an individual believes something is to them (endpoints for an importance item would be “Very Important” and “Not very important”), and how much one likes something (endpoints for a liking item would be “A lot” and “Not at all”).
How does Likert scale affect respondents?
On the other hand, Likert scales may be impacted by respondents' need to appear socially desirable. Especially if a participant holds an opinion that they know would be deemed socially unacceptable, they may choose a response to an item that will make their opinion seem more appropriate to the rest of the world.
How many responses are there on the Likert scale?
While it’s most common to see Likert scales that include 5 to 7 response options, sometimes a researcher will use more. Nonetheless, it’s been observed that when people are presented with a greater number of response options they don’t tend to choose the responses at either end of the scale. Perhaps in a large scale the end-point options look too extreme.
How do you know if you are on the Likert scale?
You know you’re completing a Likert scale if you’re asked to give an opinion in response to a statement by choosing from a series of choices that enable you to rate your degree of agreement. Sometimes instead of a statement, the item will be a question. The most important thing to note, however, is that the options from which you can choose your response offer a range of opinions that don’t overlap.
What is a neutral scale?
A scale with an odd number of response categories has a midpoint that will be considered neutral. If a researcher wants to force a respondent to choose whether they lean one way or another on a question, they can eliminate the neutral option by using a scale with an even number of options.
Who created the Likert scale?
Creation of the Likert Scale. The Likert Scale was developed by American psychologist Rensis Likert in 1932. Likert wanted to find a way to systematically measure individual attitudes. His solution was the scale that now bears his name. Likert scales offer a continuum or series of typically five to seven fixed-choice options.
How to model Likert responses?
To model binary Likert responses directly, they may be represented in a binomial form by summing agree and disagree responses separately. The chi-squared, Cochran's Q test, or McNemar test are common statistical procedures used after this transformation. Non-parametric tests such as chi-squared test, Mann–Whitney test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, or Kruskal–Wallis test. are often used in the analysis of Likert scale data.
What is the difference between a Likert scale and a Likert scale?
The difference between these two concepts has to do with the distinction Likert made between the underlying phenomenon being investigated and the means of capturing variation that points to the underlying phenomenon.
What is Likert scale?
A Likert scale ( / ˈlɪk.ərt / LIK-ərt or / ˈlaɪ.kərt / LY-kərt) is a psychometric scale commonly involved in research that employs questionnaires. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research, such that the term (or more fully the Likert-type scale) is often used interchangeably with rating scale, ...
What is a CBA?
Consensus-based assessment (CBA) can be used to create an objective standard for Likert scales in domains where no generally accepted or objective standard exists. Consensus-based assessment (CBA) can be used to refine or even validate generally accepted standards.
What is scale in testing?
A scale can be created as the simple sum or average of questionnaire responses over the set of individual items (questions). In so doing, Likert scaling assumes distances between each choice (answer option) are equal. Many researchers employ a set of such items that are highly correlated (that show high internal consistency) but also that together will capture the full domain under study (which requires less-than perfect correlations). Others hold to a standard by which "All items are assumed to be replications of each other or in other words items are considered to be parallel instruments". : 197 By contrast, modern test theory treats the difficulty of each item (the ICCs) as information to be incorporated in scaling items.
How is Likert's name pronounced?
Pronunciation. Rensis Likert, the developer of the scale, pronounced his name / ˈlɪk.ərt / LIK-ərt '. Some have claimed that Likert's name "is among the most mispronounced in [the] field", because many people pronounce the name of the scale as / ˈlaɪ.kərt / LY-kərt.
What is balanced keying?
Designing a scale with balanced keying (an equal number of positive and negative statements and, especially, an equal number of positive and negative statements regarding each position or issue in question) can obviate the problem of acquiescence bias, since acquiescence on positively keyed items will balance acquiescence on negatively keyed items, but defensive, central tendency, and social desirability biases are somewhat more problematic.
Why use Likert scales?
Researchers use even Likert scales to collect extreme feedback without providing a neutral option.
How many items are on the Likert scale?
Number of answer options: It is essential to mention that although the most common Likert scale is that of 5 items, the use of more items helps to generate greater precision in the results.
What is the 8 point Likert scale?
8-Point Likelihood of recommendation: This is a variation of the previously explained 4-point Likert scale, the only difference being, this scale has eight options to collect feedback about the likelihood of a recommendation.
Why do researchers use the odd Likert scale?
Researchers use the odd Likert scale to give the respondents the choice of responding neutrally.
What is the primary Likert record?
Intrinsic variable:The primary Likert record clearly states that there could be an inherent variable whose value marks the feedbacks or attitudes of the respondents, and this underlying variable is the interval level, at best. Likert scale data and analysis.
How many distributions are there in Likert?
The researchers identified a diverse set of 14 distributions that are representative of the actual Likert data. The computer program extracted self-sufficient pairs of samples to test all possible combinations of the 14 distributions.
When did the Likert scale come into existence?
The Likert scale came into existence in 1932 in the form of the 5-point scale, which these days are extensively used. These scales range from a group of general topics to the most specific ones that ask respondents to indicate their level of agreement, approval or, belief.
Why is the Likert scale validity compromised?
Limitations. However, like all surveys, the validity of the Likert scale attitude measurement can be compromised due to social desirability. This means that individuals may lie to put themselves in a positive light.
Does Likert scale have rank order?
The response categories in Likert scales have a rank order, but the intervals between values cannot be presumed equal.
Which study found that more desirable personality characteristics were reported when people were asked to write their names, addresses and telephone numbers answer?
Paulhus (1984) found that more desirable personality characteristics were reported when people were asked to write their names, addresses and telephone numbers on their questionnaire than when they told not to put identifying information on the questionnaire.
Do Likert scales allow for degrees of opinion?
Likert Scales have the advantage that they do not expect a simple yes / no answer from the respondent, but rather allow for degrees of opinion, and even no opinion at all.
What is the difference between parametric and nonparametric?
Nonparametric tests do not make this assumption about the “shape” of the population from which the study data have been drawn. Nonparametric tests are less powerful than parametric tests and usually require a larger sample size (n value) to have the same power as parametric tests to find a difference between groups when a difference actually exists. Descriptive statistics, such as means and standard deviations, have unclear meanings when applied to Likert scale responses. For example, what does the average of “never” and “rarely” really mean? Does “rarely and a half” have a useful meaning?3Furthermore, if responses are clustered at the high and low extremes, the mean may appear to be the neutral or middle response, but this may not fairly characterize the data. This clustering of extremes is common, for example, in trainee evaluations of experiences that may be very popular with one group and perceived as unnecessary by others (eg, an epidemiology course in medical school). Other non-normal distributions of response data can similarly result in a mean score that is not a helpful measure of the data's central tendency.
What is a Likert scale?
Likert-type scales are frequently used in medical education and medical education research. Common uses include end-of-rotation trainee feedback, faculty evaluations of trainees, and assessment of performance after an educational intervention. A sizable percentage of the educational research manuscripts submitted to the Journal ...
Can parametric tests be used to analyze Likert scale responses?
Now that many experts have weighed in on this debate, the conclusions are fairly clear: parametric tests can be used to analyze Likert scale responses. However, to describe the data, means are often of limited value unless the data follow a classic normal distribution and a frequency distribution of responses will likely be more helpful. Furthermore, because the numbers derived from Likert scales represent ordinal responses, presentation of a mean to the 100th decimal place is usually not helpful or enlightening to readers.
Is a parametric test more robust than a nonparametric test?
Fortunately, Dr. Geoff Norman, one of world's leaders in medical education research methodology, has comprehensively reviewed this controversy. He provides compelling evidence, with actual examples using real and simulated data, that parametric tests not only can be used with ordinal data, such as data from Likert scales, but also that parametric tests are generally more robust than nonparametric tests. That is, parametric tests tend to give “the right answer” even when statistical assumptions—such as a normal distribution of data—are violated, even to an extreme degree.4Thus, parametric tests are sufficiently robust to yield largely unbiased answers that are acceptably close to “the truth” when analyzing Likert scale responses.4
Should the median be used for Likert scale?
Because of these observations, experts over the years have argued that the median should be used as the measure of central tendency for Likert scale data .3Similarly, experts have contended that frequencies (percentages of responses in each category), contingency tables, χ2tests, the Spearman rho assessment, or the Mann-Whitney Utest should be used for analysis instead of parametric tests, which, strictly speaking, require interval data (eg, ttests, analysis of variance, Pearson correlations, regression).3However, other experts assert that if there is an adequate sample size (at least 5–10 observations per group) and if the data are normally distributed (or nearly normal), parametric tests can be used with Likert scale ordinal data.3
Is the distance between responses measurable?
In an ordinal scale, responses can be rated or ranked, but the distance between responses is not measurable. Thus, the differences between “always,” “often,” and “sometimes” on a frequency response Likert scale are not necessarily equal.
Is the difference between responses equidistant?
In other words, one cannot assume that the difference between responses is equidistant even though the numbers assigned to those responses are. This is in contrast to interval data, in which the difference between responses can be calculated and the numbers do refer to a measureable “something.”. An example of interval data would be numbers ...

Creation of The Likert Scale
Likert Scale Format
- You know you’re completing a Likert scale if you’re asked to give an opinion in response to a statement by choosing from a series of choicesthat enable you to rate your degree of agreement. Sometimes instead of a statement, the item will be a question. The most important thing to note, however, is that the options from which you can choose your response offer a range of opinions …
Advantages and Disadvantages of Likert Scales
- By including several categories to choose from in the response to each item, Likert scales enablea researcher to collect data that provides nuance and insight into participants’ opinions. Also, this data is quantitative so it's fairly easy to analyze statistically. On the other hand, Likert scales may be impacted by respondents' need to appear socially desirable. Especially if a partici…
Sources
- Cherry, Kendra. “Using Likert Scales in Psychology.” Verywell Mind, 14 June 2018. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-likert-scale-2795333
- Jamieson, Susan. "Likert Scale." Encyclopaedia Britannica, 16 December 2013. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Likert-Scale
- Kinderman, Peter, Schwannauer, Matthias, Pontin, Eleanor, and Tai, Sara. "The Developme…
- Cherry, Kendra. “Using Likert Scales in Psychology.” Verywell Mind, 14 June 2018. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-likert-scale-2795333
- Jamieson, Susan. "Likert Scale." Encyclopaedia Britannica, 16 December 2013. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Likert-Scale
- Kinderman, Peter, Schwannauer, Matthias, Pontin, Eleanor, and Tai, Sara. "The Development and Validation of a General Measure of Well-Being: The BBC Well-Being Scale." Quality of Life Research, vol...
- McLeod, Saul. “Likert Scale.” Simply Psychology, 24 October 2008. https://www.simplypsychology.org/likert-scale.html
Overview
A Likert scale is a psychometric scale commonly involved in research that employs questionnaires. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research, such that the term (or more fully the Likert-type scale) is often used interchangeably with rating scale, although there are other types of rating scales.
Composition
A Likert scale is the sum of responses on several Likert items. Because many Likert scales pair each constituent Likert item with its own instance of a visual analogue scale (e.g., a horizontal line, on which the subject indicates a response by circling or checking tick-marks), an individual item is itself sometimes erroneously referred to as being or having a scale, with this error creating perv…
Scoring and analysis
After the questionnaire is completed, each item may be analyzed separately or in some cases item responses may be summed to create a score for a group of items. Hence, Likert scales are often called summative scales.
Whether individual Likert items can be considered as interval-level data, or whether they should be treated as ordered-categorical data is the subject of considerable disagreement in the literatu…
Level of measurement
The five response categories are often believed to represent an interval level of measurement. But this can only be the case if the intervals between the scale points correspond to empirical observations in a metric sense. Reips and Funke (2008) show that this criterion is much better met by a visual analogue scale. In fact, there may also appear phenomena which even question the ordinal scale level in Likert scales. For example, in a set of items A, B, C rated with a Likert s…
Rasch model
Likert scale data can, in principle, be used as a basis for obtaining interval level estimates on a continuum by applying the polytomous Rasch model, when data can be obtained that fit this model. In addition, the polytomous Rasch model permits testing of the hypothesis that the statements reflect increasing levels of an attitude or trait, as intended. For example, application of the model often indicates that the neutral category does not represent a level of attitude or trait b…
Pronunciation
Rensis Likert, the developer of the scale, pronounced his name /ˈlɪkərt/ LIK-ərt. Some have claimed that Likert's name "is among the most mispronounced in [the] field", because many people pronounce the name of the scale as /ˈlaɪkərt/ LY-kərt.
See also
• Borg scale
• Bogardus social distance scale
• Diamond of opposites
• Discan scale
• K-factor
External links
• Carifio, James; Perla, Rocco J. (2007). "Ten Common Misunderstandings, Misconceptions, Persistent Myths and Urban Legends about Likert Scales and Likert Response Formats and their Antidotes" (PDF). Journal of Social Sciences. 3 (3): 106–116. doi:10.3844/jssp.2007.106.116. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
• Trochim, William M. K. (October 20, 2006). "Likert Scaling". Research Methods Knowledge Base, 2nd Edition. Retrieved April 30, 2009.