Response scales are an important component of your surveys closed ended questions. They give respondents a quick and easy way to offer their perceptions, as opposed to open ended questions which require more thought. The problem is, if these scales are used poorly, they can skew your data and reduce its value. Moreover, large scales (i.e. those that offer five, seven, or eleven choices) can also impact the reliability of your data even if they are worded well.
In this article, we ll explain the reasons you should be using smaller response scales in your online surveys. You ll learn how to design questions that give respondents a limited selection of choices, and why doing so strengthens the value of their answers.
The Easier It Looks, The Higher The Response
Even if you re giving your audience an incentive for participating, many of them will either ignore your questionnaire or abandon it halfway through completing it. One of the factors that causes abandon rates to climb is fatigue. In effect, respondents grow weary from answering complex questions, or too many of them. In many cases, a questionnaire that seems visually complex will reduce your response rate.
A small response scale even one that offers five choices gives an impression of simplicity. For example, a question might ask respondents to rate a customer service experience by choosing from among the following:
1. Very High
2. Above Average
3. Average
4. Below Average
5. Very Low
The question is relatively easy to answer and likely to increase your response rate.
Distribution Across Responses
Another advantage of using smaller response scales (e.g. three instead of five or seven options) is that they provide response variance. At first, this might seem counterintuitive. How can a 3 point scale offer more variance than a 5 point or 7 point scale? The answer has to do with how respondents tend to bias their answers.
When presented with five or seven options, survey participants tend to choose the top two answers. For example, most people, when asked to respond to the customer service question above, will choose Very High or Above Average. There are psychological reasons why this occurs (we ll explore them below). The key point is that a greater number of choices in your scale does not increase variance. If anything, it skews the responses.
Accommodating Respondent Psychology
So, why would survey participants choose the top two options in a 5 point scale most of the time? After all, if you were to recall the majority of customer service experiences in your lifetime, would you truly rate most of them Very High or Above Average? Unlikely. The fact is, we re psychologically inclined to rate experiences higher than they deserve. That skews data.
Guilt plays a role. A service experience would have to be horrible for most respondents to even consider Below Average, much less Very Low.
Expectations also play a role. Even if we receive average service from a company s staff, we re inclined to rate it more highly.
A well worded 3 point response scale can help resolve these issues and improve the value of your survey s data.
Overcoming Psychological Obstacles With 3 Point Scales
The solution to overcoming the psychological inclinations of survey respondents is in the wording. It should do two things. First, it must deliver the message that a top choice is reserved for only the best service experience. Second, it must downplay the negativity of the bottom choice. For example, suppose we replace the following scale:
1. Very High
2. Above Average
3. Average
4. Below Average
5. Very Low
Instead, let s use these three options:
1. Absolutely Outstanding
2. Very Good
3. Needs A Few Small Changes
Note how we have all but eliminated the two psychological tendencies described earlier. There is less likelihood that responses will skew to the top choice. Plus, there is less guilt attached to selecting the bottom option.
Here s the takeaway: using small 3 point scales will make your online surveys appear easier to complete. As a result, you ll increase your response rate while reducing your abandon rate. And the data you attract will be more valuable.
Author Resource:
SurveyGizmo is a leading provider of online survey tools, check them out on the web at http://www.surveygizmo.com
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