Likert Scale

A Likert Scale is the sequenced set of responses we frequently see on surveys.

There are several common applications, such as how strongly you agree with a statement, or how satisfied you were with service. The latter is common in phone surveys after a customer service call.

Example Likert Scale:

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Not that the responses must result in ordinal data, meaning that it has a clearly delineated sequence to it. Each response is assigned a number, which then lets the qualitative response from people be used to numerically analyze the responses.

The presumption is that the relative values of the responses are uniformly distributed. That means that the gap between the middle response of ‘No opinion’ and ‘Agree’ is the same as the gap between ‘Agree’ and ‘Strongly Agree.’

Likert Scales most commonly have 5 or 7 answers on them but can range from 2-10. Theoretically, you can have more, but having more options tends to get confusing. And bear in mind that a simple numerical response is not a Likert Scale. The qualitative description is required. A numerical answer makes sense in some situations, but is not a Likert scale (i.e. On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied were you with our service?)

Benefits of the Likert Scale

There are three main benefits to using the Likert Scale.

They are familiar.

People don’t need to be educated on what you mean with the survey. Nearly every adult has come into contact with a Likert Scale, and knows how to respond.

They are simple.

There can be a lot of sophistication and nuance required on how to ask questions for things like national elections or policy decisions or major product launches. For practical purpose, though, in your use of Likert Scales as a tool for in-house surveys, you can whip one up in just a few minutes that will give you good results.

They are numerical.

While the answers are qualitative, you can assign them a number and track and compare. You can see if two different departments view things the same way, or if the company is changing its opinion over time. You can look at the spread of answers through standard deviation and determine if the group is getting more unified or less unified in its outlook on things. Numbers let you dive into details and nuance.

Pronunciation

“Likert” is pronounced with a short ‘I’ as in lick-urt. It is commonly pronounced incorrectly with a long ‘i’ as in like-urt.

Likert Scales and Continuous Improvement

Because Likert Scales are easy to understand and easy to use, there is value in using them for pre-work during kaizen projects or other similar applications, or just for general feedback about your continuous improvement program.

Continuous improvement relies heavily on engagement by team members. That means knowing how they are feeling about things and acting on any problems they might have. It can be hard to understand where they stand, though, if you are not asking regularly. Likert Scales help to keep that information flowing without seeming overwhelming or intrusive to your team.