RATING SCALE
Rating Scale Definition
Rating scale is defined as a closed-ended survey question used to represent
respondent feedback in a comparative form for specific particular
features/products/services. It is one of the most established question types
for online and offline surveys where survey respondents are expected to rate
an attribute or feature. Rating scale is a variant of the popular multiple-
choice question which is widely used to gather information that provides
relative information about a specific topic.
Researchers use a rating scale in research when they intend to associate a
qualitative measure with the various aspects of a product or feature.
Generally, this scale is used to evaluate the performance of a product or
service, employee skills, customer service performances, customer-first
strategy, processes followed for a particular goal etc. Rating scale survey
question can be compared to a checkbox question but rating scale provides
more information than merely Yes/No.
Types of Rating Scale
Broadly speaking, rating scales can be divided into two categories: Ordinal
and Interval Scales.
An ordinal scale is a scale the depicts the answer options in an ordered
manner. The difference between the two answer option may not be
calculable but the answer options will always be in a certain innate order.
Parameters such as attitude or feedback can be presented using an ordinal
scale.
Learn more: Ordinal Data
An interval scale is a scale where not only is the order of the answer
variables established but the magnitude of difference between each answer
variable is also calculable. Absolute or true zero value is not present in an
interval scale. Temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit is the most popular
example of an interval scale. Net Promoter Score, Likert Scale, Bipolar
Matrix Table are some of the most effective types of interval scale.
Learn more: Interval Data
There are four primary types of rating scales which can be suitably used in
an online survey:
Graphic Rating Scale
Numerical Rating Scale
Descriptive Rating Scale
Comparative Rating Scale
1.Graphic Rating Scale: Graphic rating scale indicates the answer options
on a scale of 1-3, 1-5, etc. Likert Scale is a popular graphic rating scale
example. Respondents can select a particular option on a line or scale to
depict rating. This rating scale is often implemented by HR managers to
conduct employee evaluation.
2.Numerical Rating Scale: Numerical rating scale has numbers as answer
options and not each number corresponds to a characteristic or meaning. For
instance, a Visual Analog Scale or a Semantic Differential Scale can be
presented using a numerical rating scale.
3.Descriptive Rating Scale: In a descriptive rating scale, each answer
option is elaborately explained for the respondents. A numerical value is not
always related to the answer options in the descriptive rating scale. There are
certain surveys, for example, a customer satisfaction survey, which needs to
describe all the answer options in detail so that every customer has
thoroughly explained information about what is expected from the survey.
4.Comparative Rating Scale: Comparative rating scale, as the name
suggests, expects respondents to answer a particular question in terms of
comparison, i.e. on the basis of relative measurement or keeping other
organizations/products/features as a reference.
Examples of Rating Scale Questions
Rating scale questions are widely used in customer satisfaction as well as
employee satisfaction surveys to gather detailed information. Here are a few
examples of rating scale questions –
Degree of Agreement: An organization has been intending to improve the
efficiency of their employees. After organizing multiple courses and
certifications for the employees, the management decides to conduct a
survey to know whether employees resonate with their ideology behind
these certifications. They can use a rating scale question such as Even Likert
Scale or Odd Likert Scale to evaluate the degree of agreement.5 Point Likert
Scale
Customer Experience: It is important to collect information about customer
experience. It is important for organizations to gather real-time details about
product or service purchase experiences. A rating scale question such as a
Semantic Differential Scale can help the organization’s management to
collect and analyze information about customer experience.
Analyze brand loyalty: Organizations thrive on customer loyalty towards
their brand. But brand loyalty is a factor which needs to be regularly
monitored. Using a rating scale question such as Net Promoter Score can
help organizations in garnering real-time details about customer loyalty and
brand shareability. A rating question: “On a scale of 0-10, considering your
purchasing experience, how likely are you to recommend our brand to your
friends and colleagues?” can be effective in monitoring customer satisfaction
and loyalty.
How To Write a Rating Scale Question
This short explainer video examines a popular rating scale and walks step
by step through transforming the question until it aligns with best practices.
Uses of Rating Scale
Gain relative information about a particular subject: In a sample size
of 1000 individuals, each individual will have a different outlook
towards a topic. Gathering comparative information about satisfaction
levels, the frequency of use, loyalty and many other such parameters.
Compare and analyze data: Researchers can collect unbiased data
from the target audience and analyze that using online survey softwares
such as QuestionPro. If a rating scale question is used across a considerable
sample size, there are chances that the margin of error in obtained data can
be reduced or eliminated.
Measure one important product/service element: There are surveys
where certain topics need to be addressed specifically, in order to
understand the target market in a better manner. Rating scales can be
implemented in such cases where there are multiple important elements
which are to be analyzed. For instance, to measure degree of agreement,
frequency, satisfaction etc.
Advantages of Rating Scale
Rating scale questions are easy to understand and implement.
Offers a comparative analysis of quantitative data within the target
sample for researchers to make well-informed decisions.
Using graphic rating scales, it is easy for researchers to create surveys
as they consume the least time to configure.
Abundant information can be collected and analyzed using a rating
scale.
The analysis of answer received for rating scale questions is quick and
less time-consuming.
Rating scale is often considered to a standard for collecting qualitative
and quantitative information for research.
