7-Point Likert Scale: Step by Step Guide

The 7-Point Likert Scale is a robust measurement tool employed to gauge the intensity of opinions, attitudes, and perceptions within a given survey or research context.

Distinguished by its seven-point range, this scale provides respondents with a spectrum of choices, typically ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

What sets the 7-Point Likert Scale apart is its ability to capture nuances in participant responses, offering a more refined understanding of their viewpoints.

By allowing individuals to express degrees of agreement or disagreement, this scale introduces a level of granularity that proves invaluable in discerning subtle shifts in sentiment.

Widely embraced across disciplines, the 7-Point Likert Scale stands as a versatile and insightful instrument, providing researchers with a nuanced lens to explore the intricacies of human perspectives.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

Table of Content:

1. What is a 7-point Likert Scale?
2. Video Tutorials: 7-Point Likert Scale
3. Why use a Seven point Likert Scale?
4. 7-point Likert Scale Questions
5. 7-point Likert Scale Examples
6. How to Analyze and Interpret a 7-Point Likert Scale?
7. How to score a 7-point Likert Scale?
8. Pros and Cons of a 7-point Likert Scale
9. Wrap Up

What is a 7-point Likert Scale?

Definition: A 7-point Likert Scale offers you 7 different options in every question to capture in-depth opinions at every level.

Respondents are provided with 7 options each time they come across a question. This can help you narrow your target market’s feelings and opinions.

Check out a 7-point Likert Scale below.

You’re likely to recommend our brand to your family and friends.

• 1 = Strongly Disagree
• 2 = Disagree
• 3 = Partially Disagree
• 4 = Neutral
• 5 = Partially Agree
• 6 = Agree
• 7 = Strongly Agree

Why use a Seven point Likert Scale?

A 7-point Likert scale is used because it offers a balanced range of response options, capturing a broader spectrum of attitudes, opinions, and behaviors.

This scale allows for greater granularity and precision in data, making it easier to detect subtle differences and providing more reliable and valid results in research studies. Additionally, it reduces central tendency bias and enables respondents to express their feelings more accurately.

7-point Likert Scale Questions

Technology Adoption:

• I find the new software system intuitive and easy to learn.
  • 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree)

Health and Wellness:

• I am satisfied with the health and wellness programs offered by my company.
  • 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree)

Community Engagement:

• I feel connected to and engaged with my local community.
  • 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree)

Educational Content:

• The educational materials provided are clear and comprehensive.
  • 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree)

Environmental Awareness:

• I am conscious of my daily activities’ impact on the environment.
  • 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree)

7-point Likert Scale Examples

Example # 1

The data below is about respondents and their views towards training that was recently conducted.

Note the difference after visualizing the survey data below.

Insights

• The overall rating is 4.7/7
• The question “this training was relevant to the work I do” got a 4.7 rating
• The question “ the instructor was good and knowledgeable” got a 4.8

Example #2

The survey data below is about ratings of a particular shoe brand.

Let’s dive in.

 Check out the final 7-point Likert Scale below.

Insights

• The overall rating is 4.5/7.
• The question “I plan to buy these shoes for friends, or family members got a 4.6/7 rating.
• The question “I would recommend these shoes to others” got a 4.3/7 rating.

How to Analyze and Interpret a 7-Point Likert Scale?

Excel & Google Sheets are popular visualization tools among business owners. However, they lack a ready-made Likert Scale with up to 7 levels.

We’re not advising you to dump Microsoft Excel. 

There’s an amazingly affordable tool that comes as an add-in you can easily install in Excel & Google Sheets to access a ready-to-go and easy-to-read Likert Scale.

The application is called ChartExpo.

What is ChartExpo?

ChartExpo is an add-in you can easily install in your Excel to access a ready-made and visually appealing 7-point Likert Scale.

Features and Benefits

• ChartExpo has an ultra-friendly user interface (UI) to help save time.
• Transform intricate tables and spreadsheets into captivating graphs effortlessly, requiring only a few clicks to achieve visually stunning results.
• ChartExpo has a 7-day trial, which is free. So, if you’re not satisfied with the data visualization add-in within a week, you can easily opt within minutes.
• You have unlimited freedom to customize your visualizations according to your preferences.

Let’s get on with it.

Method #1

To get started with ChartExpo in Excel, follow the steps below:

• Open your Excel.
• Open the worksheet and click the Insert button to access the My Apps option.

• Click the Insert button to initiate the ChartExpo engine.

• Once ChartExpo is loaded, you will see a list.

• Click on the Likert Scale Chart icon to get started.

• Highlight your data and click the Create Chart From Selection button, as shown.

• To access a 7-point Likert Scale, click the Settings buttons.
• Once the Settings show, click the Scale Type.
• Click the Select Scale box and select #7, as shown below.

• Click the Apply button to preserve your changes.
• Check out the final results below.

Method #2

To install the ChartExpo, add-on for Google Sheets from this link.

• Open your Google Sheets application.
• Open the worksheet and click the Extensions menu.
• Then go to Graphs, & Visualizations by ChartExpo.
• Finally, click the Open button in the dropdown.

• Click the Add New button to access your fully stocked library.

• Once ChartExpo is loaded, you will see a list. Look for the “Likert Scale Chart.”

• Select the sheet holding your data and select the Metrics option. Fill in the numerical numbers (in our scenario, we’ll fill in Responses)
• Select the Dimensions button and fill in the dimensional data (in our example, we’ll use Questions and Scale).
• Click the Create Chart button, as shown below.

• After changing from a 5-point Scale to a 7-point Scale, like below.

How to score a 7-point Likert Scale?

• Assign Numerical Values: Each response option on the scale is assigned a numerical value. For example:
  • Strongly Disagree: 1
  • Disagree: 2
  • Somewhat Disagree: 3
  • Neutral: 4
  • Somewhat Agree: 5
  • Agree: 6
  • Strongly Agree: 7
• Collect Responses: Collect the responses from your survey or questionnaire.
• Calculate Individual Scores: For each question, note the numerical value corresponding to the respondent’s answer.
• Sum or Average Scores: To analyze the data, you can either sum the scores for each respondent to get a total score or average the scores to get a mean score.
• Interpret Scores: Higher scores typically indicate stronger agreement or a more positive attitude, while lower scores indicate stronger disagreement or a more negative attitude.

Pros and Cons of a 7-point Likert Scale

Pros of 7-point Likert Scale

One of the key benefits of a 7-point Likert Scale is that it provides different degrees (up to 7) of agreement and disagreement

1. Enhanced Sensitivity: The 7-point scale offers a broader range of response options compared to shorter scales, allowing for increased sensitivity in measuring attitudes or opinions. This added granularity enables researchers to detect subtle variations in participant perspectives.
2. Midpoint Option: With a neutral midpoint (such as “Neither Agree nor Disagree”), the 7-point Likert Scale provides respondents with an explicit neutral position. This prevents respondents from defaulting to a middle position on shorter scales, encouraging more thoughtful and accurate responses.
3. Flexibility: The scale accommodates a diverse array of opinions by offering multiple degrees of agreement or disagreement. This flexibility is particularly useful when assessing complex or multifaceted attitudes, allowing respondents to express a range of nuanced opinions.
4. Statistical Analysis: The 7-point Likert Scale produces ordinal data that lends itself well to statistical analysis. Researchers can apply a variety of statistical techniques to derive meaningful insights and trends from the collected data.
5. Ease of Interpretation: The scale’s balanced structure makes it straightforward to interpret responses. The progression from strongly disagree to strongly agree is intuitively understood by respondents, reducing the likelihood of confusion or misinterpretation.
6. Consistency Across Studies: The 7-point Likert Scale is a widely accepted and standardized tool, making it easier to compare results across different studies. This consistency facilitates meta-analyses and allows researchers to build upon existing knowledge coherently.
7. Time Efficiency: While providing a nuanced view, the 7-point Likert Scale remains concise, making it time-efficient for both researchers and respondents. This balance between depth and brevity is crucial for maintaining participant engagement and data quality.

Cons of the 7-point Likert Scale

• Limited Differentiation: Responses may lack precision.
• Central Tendency Bias: Tendency to choose neutral options.
• Acquiescence Bias: Inclination to agree without consideration.
• Response Set Bias: Consistent pattern of responding.
• Interpretation Challenges: Difficulty in interpreting the neutral point.
• Cultural Variations: Cultural and linguistic differences can affect responses.
• Order Effects: Presentation order can influence responses.

FAQs

What type of data is a 7-point Likert scale?

A 7-point Likert scale typically produces ordinal data, which represents ranked responses with a clear order (e.g., from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”).

However, when the intervals between points are assumed to be equal, researchers often treat it as interval data for statistical analysis, such as mean, standard deviation, and correlation.

What is the 7-point rating system?

Wrap Up

Analyzing survey responses for in-depth insights shouldn’t be a hassle. Or even overwhelming to you.

Survey responses are complex and may have textual and numerical data. This requires you to change your strategy during the analysis phase.

A 7-point Likert Scale comes in handy in this phase.

This visualization design is popular among seasoned data visualization experts, especially when extracting actionable insights from survey data.