What is a Likert scale?
A Likert scale asks people to choose from an ordered set of responses, such as Strongly disagree to Strongly agree, Very dissatisfied to Very satisfied, or Never to Always. Each response sits at a point along the scale, so you can see not just whether people agree but how strongly.
In community engagement, Likert questions are the quickest way to measure satisfaction with a service, support for an option, how important different priorities are, or how people experienced the engagement itself. They work best alongside an open question that asks why.
5-point vs 7-point Likert scales
5-point scales are the default for public surveys. They are quick to answer, read well on a phone, and give you a clear neutral midpoint.
7-point scales add somewhat agree and somewhat disagree, which gives finer detail. They suit audiences who answer surveys often, or longitudinal tracking where small changes matter.
4-point scales remove the neutral midpoint. Use them only when you need people to lean one way, and consider a separate Don't know / not applicable option so people without a view are not forced to guess.
How to write good Likert questions
- Ask about one thing. "The park is clean and safe" is two questions. Split it.
- Stay neutral. Avoid words like great, obviously or don't you think. They push people towards an answer.
- Write positive statements. On an agree/disagree scale, "The path is not safe" makes disagree a double negative.
- Match the scale to the question. A "How satisfied…" question needs a satisfaction scale, not agree/disagree.
- Label every point and keep the direction the same (negative to positive) throughout the survey.
- Keep it short and plain. Aim for under 20 words, with no jargon or acronyms.
- Start from what you need to learn. Each question should help answer something the decision depends on.
The free Likert question builder checks your questions for these problems as you write, and EVA by CE Canvas can review the whole set against what you want to learn.
How to analyze Likert scale data
Likert responses are ordered categories, not precise measurements, so report the share of people choosing each option, or the combined share who agree or are satisfied (the top two boxes), rather than an average score.
Compare groups (age, suburb, how often people use a service) to see whose experience differs. And read the open-text comments alongside the numbers: they explain the why. For a first look at open text, try the free word cloud generator, then group the comments into themes with our guide to thematic analysis.