"Scales" on a questionnaire should have how many points?
| Answer: The way to think about this question is as follows. The more scale points you have, the more information you will get. Thus, if you ask people a yes/no question, they can't tell you if they feel indifferent to the question (that would require a 3 point scale). Since surveys (which I assume you are using this scale for) are for getting information, the more scale points the better. Having said this, you can easily ovewhelm people with a large number of scale points. So giving people a large number isn't good either. In fact, with a large number of points respondents tend to demonstrate "floor" and "ceiling" effects, which means they answer the extremes of scale. This tends to through your results off. One other issue is the use of an odd or even number of points. While some people want respondents to use an even number (and thus forcing a choice), this is really inconsistent with human behavior. The reality is that we often are not sure or are indifferent, and this should be reflected in the scale. So, an odd number of points is best. Having said all of this, we would recommend a 5 point scale. It eliminates most of the problems just mentioned. |
More resources related to Marketing Research
-
Marketing Research Strategy
ArticleThe goal of a marketing research strategy is to effectively find a way to solve customers' problems in a way that is still profitable. That is why marketing research is crucial not only for the development of a business, but also in fostering future business successes.
-
Market research surveys, though expensive and out of reach for many, have been around for ages. But there is now a revolution brewing in MR that makes it something even the smaller players can fully participate in.
-
Marketing Smarts jumps into the good, the bad, and the ugly that B2B marketers have faced in the name of market research. Jim Longo talks about how to get started, gives words of wisdom, and explains what market research success looks like.
-
At MarketingProfs, our goal is to provide you with the information and know-how you need to successfully compete in your business.
-
After conducting thousands of marketing research studies and asking hundreds of thousands of questions, the author has come to understand one thing: There are no bad questions, only irrelevant ones. In other words, the majority of questions asked are irrelevant. That is, they don't result in answers that lead to actions.
-
The Case for Marketing Research
Article -
At a lot of marketing conferences, over-excited pitch people talk a lot about The New Thing that will Change Every Paradigm Forever. So much over-enthusiasm can jade just about anyone, so it was a relief to attend the Advertising Research Federation's (ARF) re:Think 2010 conference taking place in New York City. But even there, among the stodgiest of marketing researchers, there's talk of… a paradigm shift.
-
It's a mouthful, but a branding marketing research strategy is a vital element in your business plan. Without an effective strategy, you'll be floating aimlessly in the vast ocean of mediocrity without a clue about who you are looking for, what they want, or what they will respond to.
-
The rise of artificial intelligence is dramatically changing the way businesses understand and communicate with their audiences. Nowhere is that truer than in the fields of experience management (XM) and marketing research. See five ways AI is the future of research.
-
The way research is practiced today taps into the consumer spontaneous attitudes. While this may be all that is needed for many of our studies, it's rare that tapping into consumer's top-of-mind provides breakthrough brands. It's time to try some new approaches that dig below the surface.
-
The Case for Marketing Research
ArticleWhy are companies constantly changing their advertising message? Why do 95% of all new product introductions fail? Why is so much money wasted on poorly conceived marketing programs when research could illuminate the way? What prevents so many marketing people from using research effectively is one of three things.
-
In this episode host George B. Thomas and Jim Longo, a veteran in the market research industry, discuss why market research is the strategic secret sauce for B2B marketing success.
-
A basic role for a marketing researcher is that of intermediary between the producer of a product and the marketplace. The marketing researcher facilitates the flow of information from the market or customer to the producer of the good or service. Such a situation, with three major players—the producer, the customer and the market researcher—often sets the stage for conflicts of interest which can give rise to ethical problems. Given the inevitability of ethical dilemmas in marketing research, well-established ethical guidelines are critical.
-
These days, finding data about consumer behavior is so easy, our instinct is to pile up a mountain of it so we get a better view of customer preferences, behaviors, and experiences. That sky-high view empowers us to see a vast landscape, but it leaves us blind to what actually shapes behavior: consumer feelings.
-
Most commonly, market research is viewed as a method to improve advertising and marketing initiatives and to develop products that are friendlier to specific markets. However, the true range of uses for market intelligence is much larger than most businesses think.
-
Market research is an essential first step for launching any product or feature, but too many of us want to jump in and use our instincts instead of collecting the data we need to ensure success. Here are 10 tools that will make your research easier.
-
People have long conducted market research. Not with fancy focus groups or complicated conjoint analysis, but just by asking questions and listening to the answers. Using this art of listening is so crucial to the success of your company's marketing, that to deny it is to invite failure. Follow along as we show you how to use marketing research to funnel knowledge into your marketing programs.
-
How much do you know about your customers right now, at this moment? A lot of companies can show you composite profiles that describe their target customers, including job titles, needs, obligations, and goals. No doubt about it: It's important to know those things. But relying solely on such information to connect with customers is like trying to strike up a conversation with a cardboard cutout. It just isn't enough.
-
Businesses are ready to spend on information again, according to a new report by IBISWorld: Marketing research revenues are forecast to grow 3.1% in 2012 as corporate profits rise and businesses increase marketing budgets.
-
I'm a solo-preneur and a guy, and I run a women's jewelry and accessories store. I needed data to understand women's jewelry-buying habits. So I designed a survey, ran a contest, and marketed it via lifestyle bloggers. All for less than $350. Here's how.
