Rensis Likert, a famous American psychologist, developed the Likert scale, which has profoundly affected the world of behavior research. Likert’s revolutionary work improved survey methodology and created a powerful tool for measuring attitudes and opinions.
It is a psychometric rating scale that has since become essential to survey design. It allows researchers to measure individual points of view on various topics, from political beliefs to customer satisfaction.
In this blog, we will look at who Rensis Likert is, focusing on his significant development of the Likert scale and its ongoing importance in modern research. So, let’s get started and explore the life and contribution of Rensis Likert and his scale’s potential in survey research.
Who is Rensis Likert?
Rensis Likert was an American social psychologist, educator, and author. He is most known for his contributions to social research practice, particularly the development of the Likert scale. Likert created this easy psychometric tool, and it is the most widely used rating scale in survey research.
Likert began his research with scaling methods in the 1930s. He was trying to develop a more efficient way of evaluating people’s subjective responses to various statements.
Traditional methods to evaluate attitudes frequently lacked clarity and accuracy. It makes data analysis and interpretation difficult. Likert realized the need for a more sophisticated technique to quantify views and beliefs, and it led him to design the scale.
Early Life and Education of Rensis Likert
Rensis Likert was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on August 5, 1903. He was the son of Union Pacific Railroad engineer George Herbert Likert and former teacher Cornelia Adrianna Likert.
Likert received his high school education in Kansas, Utah, and Nebraska. He traveled through several states with his parents in his childhood. In 1922, he began studying civil engineering at the University of Michigan.
Likert graduated with a B.A. in sociology in 1926. After graduating from Michigan, he studied theology for one year at Union Theological Seminary and later earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University in 1932.
The career of Rensis Likert
Likert began lecturing in the psychology department at New York University in 1930. Likert was appointed to lead the Division of Program Surveys (DPS) in the Bureau of Agricultural Economics of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in September 1939.
The DPS was established to collect information from farmers and other residents about their experiences with USDA-sponsored initiatives.
Likert also taught sociology and psychology during his term at the University of Michigan. He assisted in establishing the Human Resource Institute (formerly known as the Institute for Corporate Productivity) at the University in 1967.
Likert was the Director of the Survey Research Center from the beginning until his resignation in 1970. Under his leadership, the center expanded to become the nation’s largest university-based social science research organization.
He and his wife moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he resumed his profession by establishing Rensis Likert Associates as a consultant for various organizations.
Contributions of Rensis Likert
Rensis Likert is most known for his work in management theory and organizational behavior. His emphasis on employee participation in organizational decision-making makes him a pioneer of participative management.
The creation of the Likert scale is his most well-known and extensively utilized contribution to psychological analysis. Even now, the psychology and marketing research sectors continue to use this scale extensively.
Likert has also contributed significantly to organizational structures and leadership styles. He established the System 4 Model, often known as the Likert Management System, which specifies four organizational levels based on employee participation and involvement. They are:
- System 1: Exploitive-Authoritative
- System 2: Benevolent-Authoritative
- System 3: Consultative
- System 4: Participative
Likert Scale
Likert. Likely, if you’ve heard the term, you’re familiar with the fact that the term is typically associated with a scale.
The Likert scale is a rating system that allows people to express how much they agree or disagree with a sequence of statements or items.
Respondents are shown a series of statements relevant to a specific issue. They are asked to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement by selecting one of many response options, which normally range from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree.”
The scale is an enduring legacy that has enabled researchers worldwide to explore the complex nuances of human attitudes, setting the groundwork for a deeper understanding of our ideas and preferences.
But do you know the history behind the scale, and what is a true Likert versus a “Likert-style” scale? Let’s elaborate.
The History of the Likert Scale
The original scale was developed in 1932 by Rensis Likert. He developed a 7-point bipolar agreement scale as a result. This scale has been used since then and is probably the most widely-used scale aside from the dichotomous yes/no scale.
Often, if you’re asked to create a questionnaire that uses a rating scale, what the requestor means is a Likert-style scale.
If you want to get technical, the scale refers to the sum of data gathered from a list of eight or more rated items. The individual ratings are Likert items. However, to keep this consistent with current terminology, we’ll call the Likert scale the group of Likert items.
Rensis Likert’s development of the scale was a significant turning point in the history of social science research. His revolutionary work is still acknowledged and used today. It contributed to numerous research and provided essential insights into the complex nature of human behavior and intellectual ability.
Use of the Likert scale
Since the original scale was used, there have been many variations on the theme; all are still referred to as a Likert scale. The original scale was a 7-item scale measuring agreement.
However, today, Likert scales often refer to any odd-numbered, bipolar scale. The purpose is still to measure respondents’ opinions and attitudes toward various statements.
While there is plenty of discussion in the market research community about how many items should be on the scale (5, 7, or 9), one thing is certain: including the most positive portion of the scale first definitely introduces positive bias into the responses.
LEARN ABOUT: Bipolar Questionnaire
Conclusion
The contributions of Rensis Likert to social science have left an indelible mark on survey research and organizational psychology, particularly the development of the Likert scale. Because of its simple yet successful design, the scale has become an essential component of survey methodology across numerous disciplines.
If you create a survey in QuestionPro and use our pre-loaded Likert scales, you will see that they always are presented with the negative options first to help avoid bias. (Interestingly, the same bias that presents itself when ordering the scale with the positive items first doesn’t seem to present itself when ordering the items with the negative items first).
In the QuestionPro answer library, you will find Likert scales (7-point, bipolar) and 5-point bipolar scales (sometimes referred to as Likert-style scales). Use these in your next surveys where you have a group of statements on which you want to measure your respondents’ attitudes and opinions.
We make it easy – just create a question, then select Answer Library in the response area. The Likert options are first, followed by the 5-point bipolar options. Just select one, and your answers will fill in automatically.
