How to Interpret 4-Point Likert Scale Results?

Visualizing ranking data is one of the strategies you can use to make your data stories persuasive.

Our brains are engineered to recognize rank in visual content instantly. We recommend using ranking data visualization charts to create compelling narratives for your audiences (and readers).

Why?

The ranking data charts display insights in a particular order. And it can either be bottom-up or top-down.

The expert-recommended ranking data visualization design is a 4-Point Likert Scale Chart.

So, what is a 4-point Likert Scale Chart?

It’s a ”˜forced’ Likert scale. The reason it is named as such is that the user is forced to form an opinion. So, there is no safe ‘neutral’ option.

Excel does not natively support the 4-Point Likert Scale Chart. If you’re an ardent user of the spreadsheet application, you’ve got to explore other options.

It turns out you don’t have to do away with Excel. You can download and install a particular add-in to access 4-Point Likert Scale charts, plus more.

In this blog, you’ll learn the following:

Table of Content:

1. What is the 4-Point Likert Scale?
2. Video Tutorials: 4-Point Likert Scale
3. Why use the 4-Point Likert Scale?
4. 4-Point Likert Scale Interpretations
5. Components of a 4-Point Likert Scale
6. 4-Point Likert Scale Examples
7. How to Create a 4-Point Likert Scale?
8. 4-Likert Scale Questionnaire
9. How to Calculate a 4-Point Likert Scale?
10. Range of 4-Point Likert Scale 
11. How to Interpret a 4-Point Likert Scale Result?
12. When Should You Use a 4-Point Likert Scale?
13. Limitations of a 4-Point Likert Scale
14. Wrap Up

Before diving right into the how-to guide, we’ll address the following question: what is a Likert Scale?

What is the 4-Point Likert Scale?

Definition: A 4-point Likert Scale is a commonly used tool in survey research to measure attitudes or opinions.

Visualization Source: ChartExpo

This scale provides a straightforward way to gauge the intensity of a respondent’s stance, offering a middle ground for those who neither strongly agree nor disagree.

While it simplifies response options, it may lack the granularity of more extensive scales but is favored for brevity and ease of analysis in various fields, including psychology and market research.

A 4-point Likert Scale is a forced Likert scale.

The reason it is named as such is that the user is forced to form an opinion. So, there’s no safe ‘neutral’ option. You can use a 4-point Likert Scale to get specific responses.

Why use the 4-Point Likert Scale?

The 4-point Likert scale helps avoid neutral responses, forcing respondents to choose between agreement and disagreement. This clarity improves the reliability of data by capturing more definitive opinions and simplifying the analysis of trends

4-Point Likert Scale Interpretations

The 4-Point Likert Scale can be interpreted in various ways depending on the context and the specific labels assigned to each point. Here are a few possible interpretations:

4-Point Likert Scale for Agreement

• 1: Strongly Disagree
• 2: Disagree
• 3: Agree
• 4: Strongly Agree

In this interpretation, the scale measures the degree of agreement with a statement or opinion.

4-Point Likert Scale for Frequency

• 1: Never
• 2: Rarely
• 3: Occasionally
• 4: Always

This scale could be used to assess the frequency of a behavior or occurrence.

4-Point Likert Scale for Importance

• 1: Not Important
• 2: Somewhat Important
• 3: Important
• 4: Very Important

Here, the scale gauges the perceived importance of a particular factor or attribute.

4-Point Likert Scale for Likelihood

• 1: Not Likely
• 2: Unlikely
• 3: Likely
• 4: Very Likely

This interpretation assesses the likelihood of a future event or behavior.

4-Point Likert Scale for Satisfaction

• 1: Very Dissatisfied
• 2: Dissatisfied
• 3: Satisfied
• 4: Very Satisfied

This scale measures the level of satisfaction with a product, service, or experience.

Components of a 4-Point Likert Scale

Check out the components of a 4-Point Likert Scale below.

• Related Questions

Questions should be easily related to the sentence’s answers, regardless of whether the relationship between the item and sentence is evident.

• Scale type

Survey participants’ responses should always have two extreme positions.

• The number of answer options

The more items on the Likert Scale, the higher the reliability of insights produced.

• Lack of a neutral option

You can work with only even values by eliminating the “neutral” possibility in your Likert Scale.

Take a look at the survey results table below. Can you provide a coherent story of what’s going on?

Question	Rating	Count
The virtual models of customized products are realistic	1	324
The virtual models of customized products are realistic	2	176
The virtual models of customized products are realistic	3	230
The virtual models of customized products are realistic	4	270
The virtual models of customized products are realistic	5	0
The information about customized components is clearly identified	1	138
The information about customized components is clearly identified	2	186
The information about customized components is clearly identified	3	176
The information about customized components is clearly identified	4	230
The information about customized components is clearly identified	5	270
The variety of customized products are satisfactory	1	0
The variety of customized products are satisfactory	2	138
The variety of customized products are satisfactory	3	186
The variety of customized products are satisfactory	4	176
The variety of customized products is satisfactory	5	500
Image rotation is useful for viewing the product from different angles	1	5
Image rotation is useful for viewing the product from different angles	2	100
Image rotation is useful for viewing the product from different angles	3	146
Image rotation is useful for viewing the product from different angles	4	116
Image rotation is useful for viewing the  product from different angles	5	420

Note the difference after visualizing the data above using a 4-Point Likert Scale Chart, as shown below.

In the coming section, we’ll cover how to analyze data using a 4-point Likert Scale.

4-Point Likert Scale Examples

Customer Satisfaction:

• How satisfied are you with our customer service?
  • Very Dissatisfied
  • Dissatisfied
  • Satisfied
  • Very Satisfied

Service Speed:

• How would you rate the speed of service you received?
  • Very Slow
  • Slow
  • Fast
  • Very Fast

Work Environment:

• How do you feel about the work environment in your office?
  • Very Uncomfortable
  • Uncomfortable
  • Comfortable
  • Very Comfortable

Training Effectiveness:

• How effective was the training session you attended?
  • Not Effective
  • Slightly Effective
  • Moderately Effective
  • Very Effective

How to Create a 4-Point Likert Scale?

Follow the steps below religiously.

• Assign your survey questionnaire a scale from 1 to 4. For instance, depending on the scale, assign 1 to “very poor” and 4 to “excellent.”
• Gather raw data.
• Use a 4-point Likert Scale to visualize the data for in-depth insights.

4-Likert Scale Questionnaire

A 4-Likert Scale questionnaire is a type of survey where respondents are asked to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with a series of statements on a four-point scale. The typical points on a 4-Likert Scale are:

1. Strongly Disagree
2. Disagree
3. Agree
4. Strongly Agree

How to Calculate a 4-Point Likert Scale?

Assign Values:

• Strongly Disagree = 1
• Disagree = 2
• Agree = 3
• Strongly Agree = 4

4-Likert Scale Formula:

                                       Mean =Sum of all responses/Number of responses”‹

Find Frequency and Percentage:

• Frequency: Count how many times each option is selected.
• Percentage: Percentage = (Frequency of an option/Total responses)*100
• Determine Mode: The most frequently chosen response.

Range of 4-Point Likert Scale

The range of a 4-point Likert scale is from 1 to 4.

1.  Strongly Disagree
2. Disagree
3. Agree
4. Strongly Agree

Calculating Range:

To find the range of responses:

1. Identify the Highest Value: 4 (Strongly Agree)
2. Identify the Lowest Value: 1 (Strongly Disagree)
3. Calculate Range:  

Range=Highest Value – Lowest Value

Range=4-1=3

The range for a 4-point Likert scale is 3.

How to Interpret a 4-Point Likert Scale Result?

Excel is a trusted data visualization tool because it’s familiar to many. However, the spreadsheet application lacks ready-made Likert Scale Charts.

We understand switching tools is not an easy task.

This is why we’re not advocating you ditch Excel in favor of other expensive data visualization tools.

There’s an easy-to-use and amazingly affordable visualization tool that comes as an add-in you can easily install in your app to access ready-made survey charts, such as the 4-Point Likert Scale. The tool is called ChartExpo.

So, what is ChartExpo?

ChartExpo is an incredibly intuitive Excel add-in you can easily install in your Excel without watching hours of YouTube tutorials.

With many ready-to-go visualizations, the app turns your complex, raw data into compelling, easy-to-digest charts in Excel and Google Sheets that tell the data stories in real time.

In the coming section, we’ll take you through how to visualize the 4-Point Likert Scale Chart Data using the ChartExpo add-in.

You don’t want to miss this!

Example

This section will use a 4-Point Likert Scale to display insights from the table discussed above.

• To install ChartExpo into your Excel, click this link.
• Open the worksheet and click the Insert button to access the My Apps option.

• Select ChartExpo add-in and click the Insert button.

• Once the interface below loads. In this case, look for “Likert Scale Chart” in the list.

• Select the data in the worksheet and click the Create Chart from the Selection button, as shown below.

• Check out the final chart below.

ChartExpo will generate a 5-point Likert Scale by default. To change the chart to a 4-point Likert Scale, follow the instructions below:

• Click the Chart Setting buttons.
• Once the Chart Setting window shows, Click the Scale Type button to see a drop-down.
• Select 4 in the drop-down, as shown below.

• Click the Apply button, as shown above.
• Check out the final 4-Point Likert Scale Chart below.

Insights:

• Virtual models and information clarity are generally well-received.
• The variety of customized products may need improvement, as evident from the dissatisfaction indicated by some respondents.
• Image rotation is a highly valued feature, contributing positively to the overall user experience.

When Should You Use a 4-Point Likert Scale?

You’ll agree when we say measuring and analyzing the quality of products or services using the market perspective is increasingly becoming a norm.

The 4-Point Likert Scale is increasingly helping businesses like yours understand their niche markets in-depth. Essentially, you can use this chart to analyze responses (opinions, beliefs, and sentiments) from a just-concluded survey exercise.

Besides, you can empower your potential customers to decide how your products and services can best serve their needs.

How?

You can achieve the aforementioned by having them provide their honest opinion (data) about the critical issues they feel you should address, such as the quality of a product/service, customer service, price, etc.

Limitations of a 4-Point Likert Scale

• No Neutral Option: It forces respondents to choose a side, which can skew results if they feel neutral.
• Less Detail: The limited options may not capture the full range of opinions.
• Response Bias: Without a neutral choice, respondents might select extremes, affecting data accuracy.
• Reduced Analysis: Fewer response points limit the depth of statistical analysis.

FAQ About 4-Point Likert Scale

What is the 4-Point Likert Scale?

The 4-Point Likert Scale is a survey methodology employing four response options to assess opinions or attitudes. Participants express their degree of agreement or disagreement with given statements by selecting one of four choices: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, or Strongly Agree.

This scale offers simplicity for respondents and researchers, facilitating quick data analysis. Its application spans various fields, with the concise nature of the scale making it particularly useful for gathering focused feedback on a range of subjects, providing a straightforward metric to measure the intensity of respondents’ perspectives.

Is a 4-Point Likert Scale ordinal?

A 4-Point Likert Scale is a one-dimensional scale you can use to collect the attitudes and opinions of your target market.

It uses an ordinal scale to help you understand the views and perspectives of the market towards your brand. Besides, it has different variants to help your business personalize its communication.

Wrap Up

Visualizing survey data is one of the strategies you can use to make your data stories persuasive.

Our brains are engineered to recognize rank in visual content instantly. We recommend using ranking data visualization charts such as survey charts to create compelling narratives for your audiences (and readers).

Why?

The ranking data charts display insights in a particular order. And it can either be bottom-up or the other way around.

The expert-recommended ranking data visualization design is a 4-point Likert Scale Chart.

So, what is a 4-point Likert Scale Chart?

It’s a  ‘forced’ Likert scale. The reason it is named as such is that the user is forced to form an opinion. There is no safe ‘neutral’ option.

Excel does not natively support a 4-point Likert Scale Chart.

So, what’s the solution?

We recommend you install third-party apps, such as ChartExpo, to access the ready-to-use Likert Scale.

ChartExpo is an add-in for Excel that’s loaded with insightful and ready-to-go Likert Scale Charts. You don’t need programming or coding skills to use ChartExpo.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access ready-made Likert Scale Charts that are easy to interpret and visually appealing to your target audience.