How a Likert scale works
Each item is a statement, such as "The onboarding was easy to follow". The respondent picks one answer from an ordered set, for example:
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
Strictly, a Likert scale is a group of related items whose scores are combined. One statement on its own is a Likert-type item. In everyday use, people call both a Likert scale.
The scale is named after the psychologist Rensis Likert, who described it in 1932.
Example
An employee survey has five statements about workload. Each answer is scored 1 to 5, and the five scores are added to get one workload score per person.
Why it matters
Likert items turn opinions into numbers you can compare across groups and over time. Label every point, keep the wording balanced, and mix positive and negative statements to reduce response bias.
Likert scales in FormFlux
Use a radio button field with one option for each point on the scale. For a numeric scale, use the rating field, which you can set to 1 to 5 or 0 to 10.