Likert Scale

The Likert scale, named for Rensis Likert (pronounced “lick-urt”) who published a seminal report describing its use, possibly is the most widely employed form of attitude measurement in survey research. Similar to nearly all psychometric scale measures, the Likert scale consists of multiple items that typically are summed or averaged to produce a more reliable measure than could be obtained by use of a single item.

The Likert scale is a special type of the more general class of summated rating scales constructed from multiple ordered-category rating items. Its distinguishing characteristics are as follows:

• Each item uses a set of symmetrically balanced bipolar response categories indicating varying levels of agreement or disagreement with a specific stimulus statement expressing an attitude or opinion (e.g. Ripe cherries are delicious).
• The ...