Rating Scale Method
Rating scales are a simple yet effective method of measuring subjective opinions on practically any subject. A rating scale is a type of psychometric test in which respondents are asked to rate an object or concept on a numeric or descriptive scale. It is typically used to measure attitudes, feelings, values, interests and behaviors. Rating scales are commonly used in market research to measure consumer satisfaction or to gauge the effectiveness of an advertising campaign.
Rating scales can be structured as either relative or absolute. In relative rating scales, respondents rank the relative importance of different criteria. For example, respondents might be asked to rank the importance of five different criteria when choosing a product or service. Absolute scales are more common, and are used to measure exact levels or degrees of something such as quality, agreeableness or intensity. The most common type of absolute rating scale requires respondents to assign a numerical or descriptive value to a item.
The two most common types of absolute rating scales are the Likert scale and the semantic differential scale. The Likert scale is a 5- or 7-point scale, which typically ranges from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The semantic differential scale is a 7-point scale that is used to measure the intensity of feelings or opinions on a specific topic. For example, a respondent might be asked to rate their feelings toward a product on a scale from “like a lot” to “dislike a lot”.
Rating scales are relatively simple to construct, administer and interpret. However, there are several potential problems with the use of rating scales. One potential problem is response distortion, which occurs when respondents provide socially desirable responses or intentionally provide incorrect responses. Another potential problem is that the use of rating scales can lead to ambiguous responses. For example, if a respondent gave a rating of 5 on a 7-point scale, there is no way to determine which of the five points the respondent was actually rating.
Overall, rating scales are an effective data collection tool that can be used to measure a variety of subjective opinions and feelings. While there are potential problems associated with the use of rating scales, these can be minimized by using carefully formulated scales, providing clear instructions and avoiding ambiguous questions or response categories. By using rating scales appropriately, researchers can gather valuable information that can be used to improve services, products and marketing efforts.
