What Is a Likert Scale? Definition and examples

Measuring something as intangible as employee sentiment can be challenging. Would you strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, or strongly agree with that statement?

Just like that, you’ve answered a question using a Likert scale. 

A Likert scale is an ordered response scale used to measure attitudes, opinions, and perceptions. People also use the term to describe survey questions that use these response options. A typical five-point Likert scale ranges from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree,” as shown above.

In workplace surveys, Likert scales can help organizations turn employee perceptions into quantifiable data they can analyze and act on. They’re commonly used to measure engagement, satisfaction, belonging, leadership, development, and more.

Interested in using Likert scale questions in your next employee survey? In this article, we’ll explain what a Likert scale is, how it works, and when to use one. We’ll also share Likert scale examples and best practices for designing your own questions, so you can collect meaningful employee feedback at scale.

Key insights

• A Likert scale is a survey rating scale used to measure attitudes, opinions, and perceptions through ordered response options.

• The five-point Likert scale is one of the most common formats, typically ranging from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’.

• Likert scales help organizations turn subjective employee feedback into data they can analyze, compare, and track over time.

What is a Likert scale?

Developed in 1932 by Rensis Likert, a Likert scale measures attitudes by having respondents express the degree to which they agree or disagree with a statement. Likert-style scales commonly use five or seven ordered response options. Responses to agreement scales are often reported as unfavorable, neutral, or favorable. If you’re measuring something else this way, use labels that match what you are measuring, such as satisfaction, quality, frequency, importance, or focus.

Here's an example of a favorability scale:

Unfavorable

• Disagree

• Strongly disagree

Neutral

• Neither agree nor disagree

Favorable

• Agree

• Strongly agree

In addition to measuring the degree of agreement, a Likert scale can also be used to measure satisfaction, quality, frequency, performance, importance, and focus. Here are a few five-point Likert scale examples and what they can measure: 

These examples could also use a seven-point scale that gives respondents more options. Just note that including more options doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get more accurate results. The best scale choice depends on what you are measuring, the respondent experience, and whether people interpret the options consistently.

At Culture Amp, we generally recommend using a clearly labeled five-point scale in survey rating questions. This gives employees enough options to express themselves without feeling overwhelming. Whichever Likert scale your business chooses, keep it consistent over time, so you have the ability to benchmark your data and track progress against those internal benchmarks.

Benefits of using a Likert scale

Not sure if Likert-scale questions have a place in your next workplace survey? Here are a few ways your business could benefit from using this rating scale:

1. It quantifies employee responses.

For reporting, each Likert scale response can be mapped to an ordered category. These categories are often assigned numbers to help summarize patterns in the data. Here’s an example of how the scoring would work for a five-point Likert scale:

Using these numbers, businesses can quantify survey responses and measure employee sentiment. From a reporting standpoint, using a Likert scale’s set responses makes it easier to analyze survey results and pull meaningful insights from your data. Paired with information gathered from optional employee survey comments, your Likert scale questions can teach your company what’s working and what needs improvement within your organization.

2. It helps measure employee attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions.

Using a Likert scale for surveys allows your business to collect quantifiable information from your employees that reflects their attitudes towards key components of the workplace experience. The right questions can help your organization track employee sentiment and find patterns in what people are experiencing. Optional comments or follow-up questions can help you understand why people responded the way they did. With these insights, your business can take action to improve the areas that matter most to your employees.

3. It allows for flexibility in surveys.

Likert scale questions let people show how much they agree with a statement. The response options are still fixed, but they offer more choice than a simple yes-or-no question, so employees are better able to express their feelings.

With a Likert scale, your business can ask employees questions on a variety of topics and use a consistent rating scale across all of the questions. This makes your surveys easier for your employees to understand and complete, while allowing them to share nuanced feelings in each response.

When to use the Likert scale

Likert scales are most useful when you want to understand the strength of someone’s attitude, opinion, perception, or experience rather than collect a simple “yes” or “no” response. Because respondents choose from a range of ordered options, Likert scales can capture degrees of intensity that binary questions might miss.

Consider using a Likert scale when you want to:

• Measure attitudes and perceptions. Likert scales can help you understand how employees feel about workplace topics like leadership, belonging, recognition, or career development.

• Measure the strength of an opinion. Rather than finding out only whether someone agrees or disagrees, you can capture how strongly they feel about a subject.

• Track changes over time. Asking the same Likert scale questions in recurring surveys allows your organization to map how employee sentiment is changing.

• Compare responses across groups. A consistent scale makes it easier to explore how responses differ across teams, departments, locations, or other demographics.

A Likert scale isn’t the right choice for every question. If you need a factual answer, such as an employee’s age or race, a multiple-choice question is probably your best bet. Or, if you want to collect more specific, descriptive feedback from employees on a specific topic, an open-ended question might be more appropriate. Start with what you want to learn, then choose the question and response format that will give employees the clearest and easiest way to answer.

How many points to use in your Likert scale

You can use anywhere from four to seven points in your Likert scale, although we recommend five points for most businesses. That said, your goal and the type of question you’re asking both play a role in which scale to choose. For example, we like a five-point scale because it gives employees a neutral option (often “neither agree nor disagree”); however, if you want to encourage employees to take a stronger stance, you could use a four-point scale instead. Or, for more nuanced opinions, you could use a seven-point Likert scale. 

Why we like the five-point Likert scale

At Culture Amp, we use a five-point scale because it gives employees enough options to express their views while keeping the survey easy to answer and interpret. Clear labels and consistent use matter just as much as the number of options. That said, it’s important to note that everyone interprets a 1-to-5 scale differently. Some employees may give in to centrality bias and be reluctant to give a "1" or “5,” while others might gravitate toward those more extreme scores.

Keep in mind that employees may also interpret your questions differently. Asking an employee to rate their manager’s feedback from 1 to 5, for example, relies on the participant’s understanding of what you’re asking. One employee might select “3” because they don’t feel feedback is important to their role. This answer, however, does not address the question’s intent, which is to find out if the employee is getting feedback, not whether they find feedback useful. 

Clarifying the intent of each question will allow your business to collect valuable data and understand which engagement drivers, like leadership, learning and development, social responsibility, feedback, and recognition, are related to employee engagement. When your employees understand a question’s intent and answer honestly, the data you gather will help you identify where to explore further and guide you in taking action.

Best practices for creating a Likert scale

The response options you offer employees can have a meaningful impact on how simple your survey is to complete and how useful the results are. A well-designed Likert scale gives people clear, balanced options that make it easy to select the response that best reflects their experience.

Keep these best practices in mind when designing your scale:

• Label every response option. Whenever possible, use descriptive labels rather than numbers alone. “Strongly disagree” through “strongly agree,” for example, gives respondents more information than a scale of 1 to 5 and reduces ambiguity about what each point means.

• Include a meaningful neutral midpoint. For agreement, satisfaction, and similar scales, include a true neutral option when neutrality is a valid response. A midpoint such as “neither agree nor disagree” allows people to express a genuinely neutral position instead of pushing them toward a positive or negative response.

• Include an N/A option when appropriate. Some questions may not apply to every employee. For example, someone who didn’t participate in a company hackathon may not be able to answer a question about the experience. In these cases, include an option such as “not applicable” or “no ability to observe,” so employees aren’t forced to choose a response that doesn’t reflect their experience.

• Use clear, symmetrical labels. Each response option should be easy to distinguish from the ones around it, and the progression from one end of the scale to the other should feel logical and consistent. Avoid vague labels that could mean different things to different people. The following example scales all list the options in order from low to high:

  • Agreement: Strongly disagree, Disagree, Neither agree nor disagree, Agree, Strongly agree

  • Satisfaction: Very dissatisfied, Dissatisfied, Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, Satisfied, Very satisfied

  • Quality: Very poor, Poor, Fair, Good, Very good

  • Frequency: Never, Rarely, Occasionally, Frequently, Very frequently

• Match the labels to what you’re measuring. Choose response options that directly reflect the question. For example, use a five-point agreement scale to measure agreement and a frequency scale to measure how often something happens. This makes it easier for respondents to understand what you’re asking.

How to write Likert scale questions

Once you’ve chosen your scale, turn your attention to the questions themselves. Effective Likert questions are clear, focused, and easy for employees to answer based on their own experiences.

Here are a few principles to follow:

• Focus on one idea at a time. Avoid double-barreled questions that combine two different concepts. For example, “I feel supported and recognized by my manager” asks employees to evaluate both support and recognition. Ask about each concept separately so you know what their response actually reflects.

• Use clear, simple language. Write questions that employees can understand on the first read. Avoid jargon, long or overly complex sentences, and vague terms that are open to interpretation.

• Be specific about what you’re asking. Give respondents enough context to know what they’re evaluating. For example, “I receive useful feedback from my manager” is more specific than “Communication is good.”

• Avoid leading questions. Write questions that allow employees to respond honestly rather than implying there’s a preferred answer. Instead of “My manager does a great job of supporting my development,” consider a more neutral statement such as “My manager supports my professional development.”

• Make sure employees can reasonably answer the question. Ask about experiences that your employees are likely to have enough information to evaluate. For example, an employee may be able to assess whether their manager gives useful feedback but may not have enough visibility to evaluate how effectively another department operates.

• Choose a Likert question only when it fits your goal. Likert scales work well for measuring attitudes, perceptions, and experiences, but they aren’t right for every question. If you need a factual answer or a more detailed explanation, other question formats may be more appropriate.

Example Likert scale questions for workplace surveys

Because a Likert scale is so versatile, it can be used for many different kinds of workplace surveys, including employee engagement, onboarding and exit, diversity and inclusion, and pulse surveys. 

Here are some Likert scale example questions you can incorporate into different employee surveys:

Employee engagement surveys

1. I am proud to work for [Company].

2. I see myself still working at [Company] in two years’ time.

3. [Company] motivates me to go beyond what I would in a similar role elsewhere.

4. I have access to the things I need to do my job well.

5. My manager gives me useful feedback on how I am performing.

6. I receive appropriate recognition when I do good work.

Looking for a Likert scale template for engagement surveys? Check out Culture Amp’s Engagement Survey Template for sample questions you can include in your next survey.

Onboarding surveys

1. Overall, how satisfied were you with the onboarding experience at [Company]?

2. I understand what is expected of me in my role.

3. I have access to the tools and resources I need to do my job.

4. I received the training I needed to get started in my role.

5. I know where to go when I have questions about my work.

6. I feel welcome at [Company].

Diversity and inclusion surveys

1. I feel like I belong at [Company].

2. I can be myself at work.

3. I feel respected by the people I work with.

4. I feel comfortable sharing a different perspective with my team.

5. I believe people from all backgrounds have opportunities to succeed at [Company].

6. I feel that my perspectives are valued at work.

Exit surveys

1. How satisfied were you with the company’s senior leadership team?

2. I felt supported by my manager.

3. I had opportunities to learn and develop during my time at [Company].

4. I regularly received recognition for my work.

5. I had a clear understanding of the career advancement opportunities available to me.

6. How likely would you be to recommend [Company] as a place to work?

Pulse surveys

1. My current role gives me the opportunity to learn and grow.

2. My manager is a positive role model for employees.

3. I feel supported by my manager.

4. I have a manageable workload.

5. I feel confident about [Company]’s future.

6. I feel motivated to do my best work.

Many rating questions can include a field for optional survey comments, giving employees a place to add context to their Likert scale answers. Comments can help explain a response and give your business useful qualitative data, but they usually come from fewer people and should be read alongside the rating results.

Alternatives to the Likert scale

If Likert scale questions don’t seem to give you the answers you’re looking for, consider whether a different question type would work better. Here are a few others you can sprinkle into your surveys: 

• Binary questions: These questions give respondents two choices, like yes/no or true/false. They work well for factual questions but don’t capture the strength of an opinion.

• Multiple-choice questions: This question type asks respondents to select one or more options from a predefined list. They are perfect for questions that ask employees to select which benefit they value most, their primary reason for leaving, or which race they identify as.

• Numeric rating scales: These scales ask respondents to choose a number from a range, like 0 to 10, to rate a statement. They’re commonly used for questions like employee net promoter score: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this organization as a place to work?” 

• Semantic differential scales: This question type presents two opposing words at either end of a scale, like “difficult” and “easy” or “ineffective” and “effective.” These are useful when you want employees to evaluate where an experience falls between two contrasting qualities.

• Ranking questions: These ask respondents to rank several options in order of preference or importance. For example, in a question asking the top factors that keep them at the company, an employee might rank compensation first, followed by flexibility, career development, and recognition. 

• Open-ended questions: If you’re looking to get more detail out of your employees, open-ended questions let respondents answer your questions in their own words. They’re particularly useful when you want to understand why someone feels a certain way or uncover themes you may not have anticipated.

• Slider scales: This question style asks respondents to select a point along a continuous or near-continuous range. This can give you more granularity than a traditional five- or seven-point Likert scale, although that extra precision isn’t always necessary or meaningful.

Remember, you’re not limited to one question type in your surveys. Use each format for the information it is best suited to collect; for example, ratings for perceptions, multiple choice for categories, rankings for priorities, and open text for explanations. 

How Culture Amp leverages Likert scales

Culture Amp supports a variety of scale types and question formats, but we primarily use a five-point agreement scale for Likert questions. We present employees with a statement and ask them to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree.

For example:

• Statement: My manager gives me constructive feedback.

• Responses: Strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, strongly agree

This approach is commonly used across Culture Amp’s Engagement and Experience survey templates. Want to measure more than agreement? We also use scales for Satisfaction, Quality, Frequency, Performance, Importance, and Focus.

Once responses are collected, Culture Amp makes Likert scale results easier to interpret by grouping agreement responses into unfavorable, neutral, and favorable categories. This helps organizations see broader patterns in employee sentiment and identify areas they may want to explore or act on. 

Want even more detailed insights? Each question on a Culture Amp-powered survey has a field to collect open-text responses, so you can gather valuable qualitative employee feedback that often supports your quantitative findings and helps you make a stronger business case for workplace improvements. 

Ultimately, the Likert scale is only one part of an effective survey. By pairing consistent response options with thoughtfully designed questions and clear reporting, Culture Amp helps organizations turn employee feedback into actionable insights.

Turn employee feedback into action

Choosing the right questions and rating scales can help you collect meaningful employee feedback, but collecting feedback is only the beginning. You also need to understand what the survey results are telling you and where to take action.

Culture Amp’s AI Coach helps you quickly surface key themes from your survey data and understand what may be helping or hindering your culture. Get clarity on engagement drivers, uncover areas that need attention, and identify where to focus your efforts.

Ready to turn employee feedback into action? Get a demo of Culture Amp’s AI Coach today.

FAQ

What are the five points in a Likert scale? 

A five-point Likert scale gives respondents five options that represent a range of attitudes or opinions. For a five-point agreement scale, these are typically: strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, and strongly agree. You can also use a Likert scale to measure factors like satisfaction, frequency, or likelihood with corresponding response options.

Is a Likert scale qualitative or quantitative? 

Likert scale responses are often assigned numerical values, like 1 through 5. This allows your team to summarize and analyze survey results quantitatively. If you’re looking for qualitative insights, you can always add open-response questions to your surveys to collect employee feedback.

Is a three- or five-point Likert scale better? 

A five-point scale can capture more nuance than a three-point scale without adding much complexity. The right choice depends on what you are measuring, the respondent’s experience, and whether the extra options will support decision-making. At Culture Amp, a five-point scale is the standard approach for survey rating questions.

How do you analyze Likert scale data?

Common ways to analyze five-point Likert scale data include measuring the average (mean), median, and distribution of responses. Comparing these results across questions, employee groups, or survey periods can help you identify patterns and track changes over time.

Ready to explore using Likert scale questions?

Learn more about Culture Amp and how we can help you listen to your employees and use their feedback to build a better company.

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