Likert-type questions

Definition

Likert-type questions are survey or questionnaire items that ask respondents to express their level of agreement or disagreement on a symmetric agree-disagree scale for a series of statements. This type of question helps to measure attitudes, opinions, and perceptions, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of respondents' feelings than simple yes/no answers.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Likert-type questions typically use a 5-point or 7-point scale ranging from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree', allowing for a gradient of responses.
2. These questions can be used to assess various dimensions such as attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors across diverse topics.
3. The data gathered from Likert-type questions can be analyzed quantitatively, enabling researchers to calculate means, medians, and standard deviations for responses.
4. They are popular in social science research because they provide a simple and effective way to gauge opinions and attitudes without requiring complex analysis.
5. The design of Likert-type questions should avoid leading language to ensure that responses accurately reflect the respondents' true opinions.

Review Questions

• How do likert-type questions improve the measurement of attitudes compared to binary yes/no questions?
  • Likert-type questions enhance the measurement of attitudes by offering respondents a range of options that reflect varying degrees of agreement or disagreement. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of opinions, capturing subtleties that binary options would miss. For example, rather than simply asking if someone agrees with a statement, likert-type questions allow them to express how strongly they feel about it, thus providing richer data for analysis.
• Discuss how the design of likert-type questions impacts their validity and reliability in research.
  • The design of likert-type questions plays a crucial role in their validity and reliability. If the wording is biased or unclear, it may lead respondents to answer in ways that do not accurately reflect their true opinions, undermining validity. Furthermore, consistent scaling and balanced response options help ensure that responses can be reliably compared across different items. Researchers must carefully consider these elements during survey construction to ensure high-quality data collection.
• Evaluate the implications of using likert-type questions in cross-cultural research and potential challenges that may arise.
  • Using likert-type questions in cross-cultural research presents both opportunities and challenges. They provide a standardized way to measure attitudes across different cultural contexts, which can facilitate comparative analyses. However, cultural differences in response styles—such as tendencies toward extreme or neutral responses—can skew results. Researchers must be aware of these differences and consider adapting scales or incorporating qualitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of the context behind the responses.

Related terms

Rating Scale: A type of scale used in surveys where respondents provide feedback by selecting from a range of options, typically numerical or descriptive, to indicate their level of agreement or satisfaction.

Semantic Differential Scale: A scale used in surveys that measures the connotative meaning of objects, events, or concepts through a series of bipolar adjectives on opposite ends of a scale.

Survey Validity: The degree to which a survey accurately measures what it intends to measure, ensuring the reliability and credibility of the data collected.