Research Guru by Alice Irvan, PRC, APR

Neutral doesn’t mean “no opinion”

April 26, 2009 at 7:15 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Tags: Likert, rating scale, research, survey question

The scary thing arrived by email–a link to a survey from a colleague–someone who teaches undergraduate and graduate level classes. The scary thing appeared when I clicked on the survey; it was lurking in the first question. There it was — smack in the middle of a Likert scale:  a “no opinion” option. Oh no!

Don’t make the same mistake. If you are using a five-point performance rating scale, “don’t know” or “no opinion” or “doesn’t apply” are additional options. For example, a frequently used rating scale is “excellent, very good, good, fair, poor.” Many researchers review top two box scores and bottom two box scores and use the “good” as a neutral rating. Someone who chooses a middle rating does have an opinion. A Likert scale is a bipolar scaling method to measure positive or negative responses; it generally has a neutral midpoint unless it is part of a four-point (forced choice) method.

Tip of the week: the middle position in a rating scale is never “no opinion.”