Ooty (check one for each item)
VERY
SOMEWHAT
NOT TOO
IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT
CLIMATE
___________
___________ ___________
COST OF TRAVEL
___________
___________ ___________
FAMILY ORIENTED
___________
___________ ___________
EDUCATIONAL/
HISTORICAL ASPECTS _________
___________ ___________
FAMILIARITY WITH
AREA
___________
___________ ___________
3. Method of Summated Ratings: The Likert Scale
An extremely popular means for measuring attitudes. Respondents indicate their own attitudes by checking how strongly they agree or disagree with statements. Response alternatives: “strongly agree”, “agree”, “uncertain”, “disagree”, and “strongly disagree”.
Example:
Likert Scale for Measuring Attitudes Toward Tennis
It is more fun to watch a tough, competitive 20/20 cricket match than to watch a test match. ___Strongly Agree
___Agree ___Not Sure ___Disagree
___Strongly Disagree
To analyze a Likert Scale, each response category is assigned a numerical value. These examples could be assigned values such as Strongly Agree=1, through Strongly Disagree=5 or the scoring could be reversed., or a –2 through +2 system could be used. They can be analyzed on an item-by-item basis, or they can be
summed to form a single score for each individual.
Advantages
1. It is relatively easy to construct and administer.
2. Instructions that accompany the scale are easily understood; hence it can be used for mail surveys and interviews with children.
Disadvantages
1. It takes a longer time to complete as compared to Semantic Differential Scales, etc.
2. Care needs to be taken when using Likert Scales in cross cultural research, as there may be cultural variations in willingness to express disagreement.
It is a special type of graphic scale, which is increasingly being used, in marketing research.
It establishes a connection between the brand and company image studies and also permits the development of descriptive profiles that facilitates comparison of competitive items.
The unique characteristics of semantic differential is the use of bipolar scales to rate any product, company or concept of interest.
Respondents are given a group of these scales and asked to check on each one point that indicates their opinion of the subject in question.
Each scales consist of two opposing adjectives such as good/bad, clean/dirty, most popular/ least popular, etc. which are separated by a continuum divided into seven segments.
Respondents are asked to check the segment that represents the degree of the characteristics involved that most closely coincided with their opinion of the product or item being rated.
It is best when used for image descriptive purposes and is not recommended for overall attitude measurement.
The advantage of using semantic differential is its simplicity, while producing results comparable with those of the more complex scaling methods
The method is easy and fast to administer, but it is also sensitive to small differences in attitude, highly versatile, reliable and generally valid.
For e.g.:
1. Perception of national brands and private brands:
High quality 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 Low quality Lower price 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 High price Higher value 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 Low value Attractive 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 Unattractive Packaging Packaging
5. Numerical Scales
Numerical scales have numbers as response options, rather than “semantic space’ or verbal descriptions, to identify categories (response positions).
6. Stapel Scales
Modern versions of the Stapel scale place a single adjective as a substitute for the semantic differential when it is difficult to create pairs of bipolar adjectives. The advantage and disadvantages of a Stapel scale, as well as the results, are very similar to those for a semantic differential. However, the Stapel scale tends to be easier to conduct and administer.
A Stapel Scale
for Measuring a Store’s Image
Department Store Name +3 +2 +1 Wide Selection -1 -2 -3
Select a plus number for words that you think describe the store accurately. The more accurately you think the work describes the store, the larger the plus number you should choose. Select a minus number for words you think do not describe the store accurately. The less accurately you think the word describes the store, the large the minus number you should choose, therefore, you can select any number from +3 for words that you think are very accurate all the way to -3 for words that you think are very inaccurate.
Stapel Scale
The Stapel scale is a unipolar rating scale with ten categories numbered from -5 to +5, without a neutral point (zero). This scale is usually presented vertically.
SEARS +5 +5 +4 +4 +3 +3 +2 +2X +1 +1 HIGH QUALITY POOR SERVICE
-1 -1 -2 -2 -3 -3 -4 X -4 -5 -5
The data obtained by using a Stapel scale can be analyzed in the same way as semantic differential data.
7. Thurstone Scale
It is one of the Multi Item Scales developed by L.L. Thurstone’s method of Equal Appearing Intervals on the concept that, even though people could not assign quantitative measures to their own attitudes, they could tell
the difference between the attitude represented by two different statements and could identify items that were approximately halfway between the two. The procedure is as follows
1. Collect a large number of statements (perhaps as may as several hundred) related to the attitude in question
2. Have a number of judges (perhaps 20 or more) sort the statements independently into 11 piles that vary from the most favorable statement to neutral statements to most unfavorable statements.
3. Study the frequency distribution of ratings for each statement and eliminate those statements that the different judges have given widely scattered ratings – that are in a number of different piles
4. Determine the scale value of each of the remaining statements – that is, the number of the pile in pile in which the median of the distribution falls
5. Select one of the two statements from each of the 11 piles for the final scale. Those statements with the narrowest range of rating are preferred as the most reliable.
Advantages
It is important to note that there are 11 attitude positions because in a scale with odd number of parameters, it is easier to identify a neutral position.
Disadvantages
1. Thurstone scales are not widely used for Marketing Research because the are time consuming during preparation
2. The ratings may be influenced by the Judges’ personal attitude
3. Different individuals can obtain exactly the same score from agreeing with quite different items. 4. It does not obtain information about the intensity of agreement with the ratings