This Friday’s “Fix-It” looks at the direction of rating scales.  There have been a number of discussions in other places about whether you should put the positive or negative ‘end’ of the rating scale first so I won’t argue that one here  (click here to read a succinct post by Jeffrey Henning of Vovici regarding this topic).

What I do want to argue is that whatever direction you decide to take with your rating scales, you should keep it consistent throughout your survey. It will decrease respondent error and increase the quality of your data.

Here is an example of two questions from a survey that recently came across my desk.

Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

In the first question, the negative end of the rating scale is on the left.  However, for the second question, the negative end of the rating scale is on the right.  This structure can lead to problems.

One, your respondents may not notice that the direction of the rating scale has changed and inadvertently make an error in responding.  Two, if your respondents do notice the change in direction, they must make a mental shift in thinking, go back to the question, and then go back to the rating scale in order to answer the second question.

SOLUTION: Pick a direction and stick with it!

The more work your respondents must to do in order to answer the question, the greater likelihood they may drop out, make errors, or in general, just give you lousy data.  Treat your respondents with respect and they will likely return the favor with better data.

Looking to launch a survey to your customers soon?  We would be happy to give your survey a look to make sure you are not setting yourself up to confuse your respondents and collect bad data.  Please give us a call at 219-310-8435 or email us at Info@SaquiResearch.com for an estimate.

Tags: rating scales, survey respondents, survey scales