Whether you treat your data as ordinal or interval impacts your choice of a parametric or non-parametric statistical test. You can use inferential statistics to test hypotheses, such as correlations between different responses or patterns in the whole dataset. You find the mean, or average, score and the standard deviation, or spread, of the scores for your sample. Interval data: You add up the scores from each question to get the total score for each participant.You also create a bar chart for each question to visualize the frequency of each item choice. Ordinal data: To get an overall impression of your sample, you find the mode, or most common score, for each question.
CREATING A LIKERT SCALE IN WORD CODE
You can code the answers to each question into numbers and then add up the numbers to get an overall attitude score for each participant. If the questions all measure a single trait or attitude when combined, they can also be grouped together and analyzed as a Likert scale. Likert-type questions can be individually analyzed for deeper insights into specific attributes. You can use descriptive statistics to summarize the data you collected in simple numerical or visual form. Overall Likert-scale data is often treated as interval because it is a composite score made from adding answers to 4 or more questions. For example, non-Likert rating scales from 1 to 10 can assume that the difference between 2 and 4 is the same as the difference between 5 and 7. Interval scales also have a clear order, but the difference between each point is evenly spaced. In ordinal scales, each item has a rank that is higher or lower than others, but the exact differences between the items aren’t evenly spaced or clearly defined.įor example, you can’t be sure that the difference between “very poor” and “poor” is the same as the difference between “good” and “excellent”.
I try to buy organic products whenever possible.īanning single use water bottles is pointless for reducing environmental damage.īefore you analyze data from Likert-type questions and Likert scales, it’s important to consider what type you’re dealing with.
How would you rate your knowledge of climate change? How frequently do you buy biodegradable products? If all your questions only ask about things in socially desirable ways, your participants may be biased towards agreeing with all of them to show themselves in a positive light.Įnvironmental damage caused by single use water bottles is a serious problem. Use both positive and negative frames in your questions.
CREATING A LIKERT SCALE IN WORD HOW TO
When deciding how to phrase questions and statements, it’s important to ensure that they are easily understood and do not bias your respondents in one way or another. Using a mix of both can keep your participants engaged and attentive during your survey. Phrasing as questions vs statementsīoth statements and questions are often used in Likert scales. Each question may measure a separate component of that overall topic.įor example, if you want to assess attitudes towards environmentally-friendly behaviors, you can design a Likert scale with a variety of questions that measure different aspects of this topic. Frequently asked questions about Likert scalesĪ Likert scale is made up of 4 or more questions that assess a single attitude or trait when response scores are combined.
Strengths and limitations of Likert scales.