PollCraft / Likert scale poll
Likert scale and rating scale poll maker
A Likert scale asks how much people agree with a statement, from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”. Pick one of ten ready scales, edit the labels, and run it as a free poll with a QR code and a results chart.
What is a Likert scale?
The format is named after psychologist Rensis Likert, who introduced it in 1932 to measure attitudes. Strictly, a Likert item is one statement with ordered agree/disagree answers, and a Likert scale is several related items whose scores are added up. In everyday use, people call any agree–disagree question a Likert scale.
Likert scale vs rating scale
A rating scale is the broader family: any ordered set of answers, such as 1–5 stars, “very poor” to “excellent”, or “never” to “always”. A Likert item is a rating scale whose labels measure agreement. PollCraft’s plain 1–5 rating poll also gives you an average.
5 points or 7? Neutral or not?
- 5 points is the common default: easy on a phone and easy to read.
- 7 points gives finer distinctions when people care about the topic and have time to think.
- 4 points (no neutral) forces a lean one way. Use it when you need a direction, but expect some people to skip the question instead.
Ten ready-made scales
| Scale | Points (low → high) |
|---|---|
| Agreement (5-point) | Strongly disagree · Disagree · Neither agree nor disagree · Agree · Strongly agree |
| Agreement (7-point) | Strongly disagree · Disagree · Somewhat disagree · Neutral · Somewhat agree · Agree · Strongly agree |
| Agreement (4-point, no neutral) | Strongly disagree · Disagree · Agree · Strongly agree |
| Satisfaction | Very dissatisfied · Dissatisfied · Neutral · Satisfied · Very satisfied |
| Frequency | Never · Rarely · Sometimes · Often · Always |
| Importance | Not at all important · Slightly important · Moderately important · Very important · Extremely important |
| Likelihood | Very unlikely · Unlikely · Not sure · Likely · Very likely |
| Quality | Very poor · Poor · Fair · Good · Excellent |
| Difficulty | Very easy · Easy · About right · Hard · Very hard |
| Confidence | Not at all confident · Slightly confident · Somewhat confident · Confident · Very confident |
How to report Likert results honestly
- Show the whole distribution, not just an average. A room split between extremes and a room that is all neutral can have the same mean.
- Prefer the median and “% agree” (top two boxes). The points are ordered, but the distance between “agree” and “strongly agree” isn’t guaranteed to equal the distance between “neutral” and “agree”.
- Say how many answered. With 15 responses, a few people changing their mind moves the percentages a lot; see the margin of error slider.
Questions people ask
What is a 5-point Likert scale?
Five ordered answers to a statement: strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, strongly agree. It is the most common version because it is quick to answer and includes a neutral midpoint.
Should a Likert scale have a neutral option?
Include it when “no opinion” is a genuine answer you want to measure. Drop it (use 4 or 6 points) when you need people to lean one way, accepting that some may skip the question.
Can I calculate an average of Likert answers?
Many people do, coding answers 1–5. Because the gaps between labels are not guaranteed to be equal, the median and the share who agree are safer summaries, and you should always show the full breakdown.
Is a Likert scale the same as a rating scale?
A Likert item is one kind of rating scale, specifically about agreement. Rating scales also cover satisfaction, frequency, quality, importance and star ratings.