What Are the Advantages of a 5-Point Likert Scale?
A main advantage of a 5-point Likert scale is that it is easy to interpret the data gathered because of the numbering assigned to each option, according to Simply Psychology. Also, as observations can range from “one” to “five” or “low” to “high,” it also gives more scope than a simple yes/no format of questioning. A 5-point Likert scale is typically given to measure attitudes of a group of people.
Whenever surveys are given, it is always advisable to make things as simple as possible for survey takers, and that is exactly what the 5-point Likert scale does. Available options are numbered from one to five or described on a scale “negative” through “neutral” and “positive.” A survey taker may wish to answer “negative” regarding a question without implying that their opinion is strongly negative. The 5-point Likert scale gives the option to respond in a slightly negative way, allowing the opinion to be somewhat tempered.
As for the survey collectors, responses are easy to code and total scores are easy to calculate to arrive at an overall result. Answers tend to be consistent because questions lead from one to another in a related manner. Questions have to be worded in such a way that a whole range of responses can be possibly given.
