Why is the Likert scale so effective in surveys?

1. It provides accurate data about opinions on a certain topic.
2. People can answer them quickly.
3. It provides deeper details compared to binary choices.

 

Almost everyone in the world today have answered at least one survey – either in physical form or on software form like the ones seen on a WordPress survey plugin. Many brands and companies use this in order to gather necessary information to improve their products and services.

These businesses do whatever they can in order to get accurate answers from their surveys; after all, not doing so can result into their failed business ventures, which none of them want. As a result, they use a Likert scale in their census and research, for this tool is known to be really effective.

If you are not familiar with the Likert scale, then don’t fret for you can read all about it below.

 

What is a Likert Scale?

Basically, a Likert scale is a set of answers that express the extremity of a respondent’s agreement or disagreement with the question. Here are some examples:

1. Extremely likely
2. Very likely
3. Likely
4. Indifferent
5. Unlikely
6. Very unlikely
7. Extremely unlikely

Such a set of answers can be used to answer a question like “How likely are you to eat after working out?” or “Will you work from home given the choice?” When the answers have been summarized, surveyors can see how much a targeted audience agrees or disagrees with certain questions. This makes it a great tool to measure previously intangible data, such as opinions and perceptions.

 

Why should the Likert scale be used on WordPress Survey Plugins?

If you are using survey plugins on WordPress, then you’ll be glad to know that even there you could utilize the Likert scale. As mentioned above, this will ultimately assist you in your research to find out accurate results for your data. If you need more reasons to convince you aside from that, then have a read below.

 

1.    Limitations of Binary Questions: Before the Likert Scale

You can only imagine how hard it was for surveyors before social scientist, Rensis Likert, created his revolutionary scale. They couldn’t easily gather data regarding questions like, “What do you think of our current President?” The gathering of such data relied on rewording of the said question. It would have to be framed like so, “Do you think our current President is doing a good job?” Doing this allowed them to give their respondents binary choices. In this case it could be either “Yes” or “No;” this means that only agreement and disagreement can be voiced out by respondents, and not the extent of it.

 

2.    Data on Opinions

With the Likert scale, there would be no need to reword the question “What do you think of our current President?” There would only be a need to provide the right choices. For this example, it could be the following:

• He is the best President ever.
• He is doing pretty well.
• He is alright.
• I don’t care.
• He is not doing okay.
• He is doing a terrible job.
• He is the worst President ever.

By providing respondents with such choices, surveyors can get more granular feedback. They will be able to find out how good or how bad the President is doing in the eyes of the people.

Outside of that example, it’s truly a very useful feedback tool that anyone can use to improve anything in a business. By being able to uncover the general opinion of the people, Likert scales on WordPress survey plugins can help companies get the feedback they need to make the next smart business move. This works for art, reputation management, etc. It’s definitely the feedback tool everybody needs.

 

3.    People are Happier with Likert Scales

It’s simple really; the Likert scale expresses a person’s opinions accurately. As compared to a “Yes” or “No” question, respondents will spend less time thinking about their choices. It makes the survey more satisfying and quicker. You could say that with the Likert scale, they have been given a shortcut.

 

When should the Likert Scale be used?

Generally, the Likert scale is the most effective tool to use, when a surveyor wants to know more details about a certain topic and when he wants to know people’s opinions in data form. Usually, the need for this arises in the following situations:

1. When a new product is released
2. When a new rule is implemented
3. When a service is completed
4. When an event was executed

For these and other similar situations, granular feedback is needed in order to measure sentiment. Of course, not everyone will fully agree or disagree with the features of a new products, the terms of a new rule, the execution of a service, or the production of an event. There are gray areas and surveyors want to know exactly what these areas mean. Experts call this a variance. They use this to truly know what a respondent is thinking. With such opinion-based questions, they would need variance, which the Likert scale can provide.

 

Key Takeaway

Nowadays, with the reality of survey fatigue, there is a need to get accurate data without tiring out the respondent. With a Likert scale, it’s a quick way to do just that. People will love answering such questions because it expresses who they are. At the same time, it’s not time consuming like an essay. Surveyors also get more accurate and deeper data about the opinions of people regarding a certain topic. It’s a win-win method for all, and putting a Likert scale on a WordPress survey plugin will benefit any website.

How do you ask sensitive questions on an online survey?

1. Use neutral, unbiased language
2. State your intentions clearly
3. Give them a chance to opt out, if they do not like your intentions
4. Make sure you never make them feel vulnerable
5. Start with a casual question that will get your respondent in the right mood to think about the sensitive topic
6. Slowly build up to the sensitive topic by making the questions less and less casual

 

Using website survey tools is one of the best ways to gather accurate data from a significantly large portion of your target market. But because of the technological nature of the tool, asking sensitive questions on this medium can feel more robotic. Therefore, asking such a query must be done more carefully – particularly online – to not come across as offensive. This is important to learn, especially when you need to gather information about a touchy subject.

Do you find yourself in this situation? If your answer is yes, then you don’t have to fret because here are some tips that will teach you how to properly and respectfully ask such questions in your survey:

 

Online vs. Offline

First of all, you must understand that conversing in person is completely different from talking to someone via digital means (i.e. text, email, website surveys). In real life, you could count on both of your words and your actions speak for you. After all, your body movements and tone of voice can do a lot to convey your intentions and emotions.

However, if you are communicating with people through digital means, then your true intentions can easily get lost or misinterpreted. Because of the lack of a human voice, your respondents can read sensitive questions in a way that is offensive to them. Therefore, you are immediately turning them away from answering your survey.

As you can see, it is very important for you to be clear with your intentions and emotions through the words you use. Always take into account that tone and body language is not translatable onto online questions.

 

Start Casually and Build from There

When asking a sensitive or personal question, it is very important that you do not start with that question first. This will make your respondent feel vulnerable and drop out of answering your survey. Instead, start with a casual question and slowly build up from there.

Use the topic of mental illness as an example. Being a touchy subject, it’s best not to start with a question like “Where would you say you got your mental illness from?” Such wording is very invasive because of how personal and assuming it is. Instead, you can start with “How is your health today?” This question is not only very casual, but gets the respondent in the mindset to think about his well-being. From there, you can build up to asking about their doctor’s appointment, whether it is a physical or mental checkup, what type of mental illness it is, and where the illness stemmed from.

By starting casually, you get to build rapport with the respondent and bring his guard down slowly. This slow lead up to the sensitive question is what will make them open to answering truthfully and give you the data you need.

 

Be Clear About Your Intentions

As mentioned above, you have to be clear about your intentions because you don’t have tone and body language on your side. Thus, you must be clear about why you need their response. Say your intentions and, from there, ask if they wish to continue. If they do, then great; but if not, then you can amicably stop the process.

You can take this as an example: you want to gather information about the drinking habits of people in order to study the effects of regular alcohol intake on work productivity. By blatantly asking “How often do you drink?” you could seem too invasive and aggressive, which will turn people off. Instead, state your intentions first and then give them an option to continue or back out. When doing this, word everything neutrally so it does not feel biased.

A good example of this would be: “Hello, we are conducting a study on the positive and negative effects of alcohol consumption on productivity. Would you like to take part in this research to help us bring insightful information to the public?”

Respondents can say no which is completely fine. They will appreciate that you gave them a choice to opt out and, when they do, they won’t take it personally. However, if they do accept your offer, then you can get your answer to your question, “How often do you drink?” You can also ask other related queries, such as questions about the nature of his job, how many days he works, how difficult his job is, why he drinks, if he feels that drinking helps him to unwind after a long day, etc.

 

Key Takeaway

Successfully getting answers to sensitive questions is all about the build-up. Start by making the respondent comfortable with the situation. Use that comfort to slowly go into more sensitive territory while not making the person feel vulnerable. If they feel like you care, then you will get the answers you want.

How do I build a buyer persona using a survey?

1. Ask the right questions about the customers. Inquire about their:
   1. Roles, jobs, and backgrounds
   2. Demographic information (e.g. name, age, family members, location/address, gender, and salary)
   3. Personal goals and problems
   4. Frequently consumed media
   5. Buying preferences

 

One of the main reasons why survey tools for websites were made in the first place is to provide an avenue for customers and companies to interact. Thus, it is a great avenue for business owners – such as yourself – to get to know your market and create a useful buyer persona.

How to Make a Buyer Persona

When one creates a buyer persona, he must make sure that it is a good and accurate representation of the majority of his customers. While being able to understand how to use analytics tools is useful to know how the minds of clients work, nothing can compare to good market research. Being the simplest and most affordable method of said research, the online survey could be your tool to understanding your market much better.

It’s an effective tool that can gather important data from your customers. By being able to ask respondents to fill out the required fields, no response will have incomplete data; thus, more accurate results are achieved. Also, since it’s online, the questions you want answered can be delivered to a multitude of people. From existing loyal customers to potential new clients or even partners, the online survey can gather useful information from everyone that interacts with your website and/or company. With the results, you can create multiple buyer personas based on the personalities you see in the data you gather.

What Questions Do You Need to Ask?

While there is a general guideline regarding the questions you need to ask to effectively build a buyer persona, natures of business vary along with their products and services. Thus, the question needed may also vary as well depending on what your business needs. But before you ponder on that, take a look at the following questions to see what aspects of your customers you want to know more about:

 

1. Role, Job, and Background

This includes questions about the professional and educational history of a person. Asking this question can give you an idea of what he has gone through and where he is standing in his life. It will also give you an idea of his lifestyle preferences.

 

2. Demographic Information

This refers to all the basic information about your customers. Usually, this consists of personal details such as name, age, family members, location/address, gender, and salary. Although this is simple information, it’s a key component to understanding your market.

 

3. Personal Goals and Problems

Admittedly, this may seem to be a very personal question – ones that a customer only shares with his closest friends. But it’s actually a very useful piece of information to provide.

With this information, you can build a buyer persona in which you can understand the troubles that your market must overcome to reach their goals. From here, you can come up with solutions to their problems and achieve that ever so desired customer satisfaction.

 

4. Frequented Websites and Media

In the world today, people get their information by reading, watching, and consuming various media outlets. Learning where exactly do they go to get info is important for you to know how to approach your marketing offers.

To find it out, ask them the social media websites they frequent or the blogs they like to visit. Aside from these, you might also want to inquire about the magazines they read, the channels they watch, and the streaming sites they consume.

By knowing all this, you can focus on a specific outlet for your marketing and surveying efforts. This is because you will know where to easily get their attention.

 

5. Buying Preferences

Every customer has his own buying preference when wanting to interact with a vendor or a company. Some may want to go to the store to pick up an item right away while others may be too busy and wish for an online delivery system.

Basically, these are the ways that your customers would like to avail of your offer. By being able to create buyer personas with their buying preferences, you’ll understand how to make availing of your offers convenient to them.

 

Ask these questions in your online survey and take note of the common answers. Eventually, you will be able to build a buyer persona based on the most frequent types of personalities and histories that you see. From here, you can create new offers or improve your services to cater to their preferences, which develops their loyalty to you.

It is highly recommended that you create multiple buyer personas to represent the most common types of customers you interact with.

 

Key Takeaway

Basically, an online survey is a great medium in order to be able to ask questions that can help you build a buyer persona. Since online surveys are convenient for everyone, it’s an effective way for you to understand your customers; and for customers to feel like they are going to be taken care of.

How do you make a survey more accessible?

1. Avoid using Likert scale, grid, hidden, and JavaScript questions
2. Dedicate one question per page
3. Update warning messages to be optimized for assistive technology
4. Use either a simple theme or a high contrast one
5. Include captions or ALT text to your images
6. Use People First Language
7. Use an online accessibility checker to test the survey

 

Being able to use a WordPress survey tool properly is not just about asking the right questions and getting the right answers. It is also about making sure that every significant respondent will be given a feedback. This means that even people with disabilities can answer it. To do this, a survey must be “accessible.”

Amendment of Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Back in 1998, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was amended by Congress. In this amendment, Federal agencies became required to make all their electronic information accessible to people with disabilities. While this law was intended for government bodies, companies began to use the law as a guide for their products and services to be able to cater to the less able consumer.

 

Section 508 Compliance

There is a guideline in this amendment called the Section 508 Compliance. This states how these agencies can make their information available for people with disabilities just as easily as for those who are fully capable. The particular guidelines will be discussed below.

 

• Questions

 In order to make an accessible survey, it must be compatible with screen readers and other sorts of assistive technology. Because of this, the following questions must be avoided:

 

1. Likert Scale and Grid Questions

A Likert scale is common to a rating scale in which respondents can accurately rank their feelings about a question. Usually, there are five or more questions. These are usually Strong Agree, Agree, Neither, Disagree, and Strong Disagree.

 The problem with this is that it is seen by screen readers as a table in which the labels and buttons are labeled differently. Doing this may confuse many blind respondents.

It is highly suggested for you to use either a radio button displayed horizontally, when asking ranking questions, or to include an alternate description that can be read by assistive technology.

 

2. JavaScript Questions

While such questions are visually pleasing, they are very hard to read. Blind people will also find it difficult to relate to them. Thus, questions with image choices, star rankings, drag and drop, and custom tables should be avoided.

 

3. Hidden Questions

Hidden Questions happen, when a question is skipped due to an answer in the previous item. This is also referred to as piping. Although it is a great survey method, it should be avoided when surveying the general public. This is because piping is done via JavaScript and it won’t be read properly by assistive technology.

 

• Layout

To make the layout of an online survey accessible to people with disabilities, it is highly suggested that a page only has one single question. This is commonly found in mobile surveys. In such a layout, assistive technology can read the questions out first and then switch to form mode when it is time to answer. In this mode, screen readers focus on reading inputs and labels.

 

• Warning Messages

A warning message that is used to tell respondents that he forgot to answer a required question is useful to make sure that a survey will reach accurate results. Sadly, this is usually not read by screen readers when it isn’t optimized for it.

 

• Visuals

 For the visually impaired, the simpler the theme of a survey is, the better. Thus, having no theme is the suggested choice. But if a surveyor chooses to add one, then he must choose one of high contrast to help those who aren’t completely blind but are impaired. This contrast checker is highly useful.

 

• Images

 Surveyors must be sure to add ALT text or captions to the images of their survey. This text is readable by assistive technology and, thus, must be able to accurately convey what an image contains.

 

• Language

It is strongly recommended to use People First Language in a survey to be given to people with disabilities. This is a linguistic practice that ensures that the word “disabled” is not used in order to avoid dehumanizing the person and making him feel like he is defined by his limited capabilities. Instead, the term “people with disabilities” is used. As you can see, the word “disabled” is not used on this article.

Also, when addressing the respondent, it is important to name him first followed by his condition to emphasize that they are people first.

 

• Testing the Survey

 Before releasing a questionnaire, there are numerous softwares that can help researchers test if their surveys are accessible. An example of which is Wave. You can utilize it to ensure your survey can access a broader audience.

Key Takeaway

In any survey, the goal is to get accurate answers from a large group of people. But when a big portion of the said group cannot answer the survey, then the results will be biased.

This happens, when a survey is not accessible and people with disabilities cannot make their voices heard. The concluding result will end up not benefitting a big part of the population. It will become an ineffective survey, research, and reaction. But by following these guidelines, your surveys can reach anyone and everyone, and get more accurate results.

What are the top research terms surveyors should know?

1. Accessible: Accessible surveys are those that can be answered in multiple ways.
2. Bias: Refers to bias that leads to inaccurate data due to the lack of quality in the survey tool and/or respondents.
3. Crosstab data analysis: Also known as cross-tab, this is to quickly see trends based on data gathered from two or more questions.
4. Panel: This is a paid group of respondents that are usually gathered to test and give feedback regarding a new product or service in a controlled environment.
5. Piping: A method that can reduce survey fatigue by asking next questions based on answers from previous questions.

 

While being knowledgeable in the best website survey tools is useful, surveyors must also be responsible in knowing the common terms in the world of research. Learning them will aid them in working well with their fellow researchers and surveyors.

The following are the top 5 terms that they should know:

Accessible

• Adjective \ik-ˈse-sə-bəl, ak-, ek-\

The dictionary meaning of the word is to be able reach, approach, use, or obtain. In terms of surveys, one is accessible when it is well designed and compliant with the Section 508 Guidelines. These are the guidelines that were made so that Federal agencies can create their EIT (electronic and information technology) in a way that is physically accessible to people of different levels of capabilities. These guidelines are so useful that they are adopted even by software companies.

One can say that a survey is accessible when it works for all respondents’ preferences. This means that it should be available to be used and answered via traditional methods, keyboard without a mouse, speech to text software, and screen readers. In order for a surveyor to be able to comply with this, he must be aware of how fonts, ALT text, interactions, and question types affect the technical experience of a respondent.

 

Bias

• Noun \ˈbī-əs\

Based on the dictionary term, this refers to a person’s tendency to treat others unfairly because of a predisposed idea that they are lesser people. However, this is different from the meaning of bias in terms of surveys.

In surveys, bias means a reaction of respondents to surveys that lead them to – whether intentionally or unintentionally – give inaccurate answers. The collection of such data will lead to inaccurate conclusions as well.

There are two relevant types of bias in surveys: response bias and non-response bias.

• Response bias (also known as Hawthorne effect) is the inaccuracy of data because of the lack of quality in questions or available answers. This happens when the questions and answers of surveys are not in a way that is favorable to the gathering of desired data. For example, when a survey asks “What is your favorite sport?” then the answers that will be gathered will be significantly different from when a survey asks “Is basketball your favorite sport?” Because of this, questions must always be worded neutrally to allow respondents to answer truthfully. Also, it is strongly recommended to add an “Other” option so that respondents have flexibility for broad questions. Doing so will ensure the collection of quality data.

• Non-response bias, on the other hand, refers to the bias related to the quality of respondents instead of the quality of the survey tool. An example of such is when a survey’s goal is to gather data from basketball fans. Having baseball fans answer this will yield inaccurate results and is just down right unintelligent. In general, a survey must be conducted to an appropriate group or sample of people that are significant to its goals to avoid non-response bias.

 

Crosstab Data Analysis

• Noun \ˈkrȯs\ \ˈtab\

This is the type of analysis that uses a contingency table to get to its conclusions. This is one of the go-to methods market researchers use when they need to show the relationship between two or more variables when doing categorical analysis. With Crosstab Data Analysis, also known as cross-tab, the correlations between said variables can be quickly determined, which may not be so obvious when trying to absorb the data in different methods.

Simply, when researchers use a crosstab report, they are allowed to analyze two questions at once; one for the vertical vector and the other for the horizontal one. This will bring out trends and patterns of the respondents that are surveyed.

Panel

• Noun \ˈpa-nəl\

Usually, a panel refers to a group of people, who are responsible for answering questions, giving advice and opinions, and/or discussing a topic for an audience. For research, a survey panel is a group of people, who have shown willingness to participate in surveys. They are usually paid for the time and effort that they give in doing so. A panel is the organization that conducts these surveys to the survey panel and they also usually require a fee to access their audience.

One may ask why a panel is needed. This is useful for businesses that are starting a new service or creating a new product. A regular survey cannot be conducted because there are no current customers that consume these offers. Therefore, using a panel is useful here. Offering them money makes it worth their while so numerous specific questions can be asked in order to get the most accurate data.

 

Piping

• Noun \pī′pĭng\

Piping basically means to populate a survey’s content by using data gathered from a previous survey.  For online surveys, it’s a confusing term because there is no actual pipe, but it simply means constructing the next questions/popups by using previous answers. An example of this is thanking the respondent with his actual name after he has finished answering a survey. This can be done when it requires the respondent to input his name before sending.

This is a great way to reduce survey fatigue because the amount of data the respondent needs to enter is greatly reduced. Based on the answers they give in the first question(s), surveyors could lead them to a question that is more relatable to respondents and relevant to surveyors.

 

Key Takeaway

Familiarizing yourself with these research terms is important in surveys. This is not just because of efficient communication, it will also enable you to be aware of the different practices you might encounter, when conducting a survey.

Eventually, knowing all of them will help you get the needed answers to your research.