How to Use Likert Scale Questions in Your Free Online Surveys

When you need to measure attitudes, opinions, or satisfaction levels, the Likert scale is your go-to survey question type. By asking respondents to rate their agreement on a scale from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree", you can quantify subjective experiences and track changes over time.

But while Likert scales are excellent at capturing sentiment at a glance, the numbers alone rarely tell you enough to take action.

What is a Likert Scale Survey?

A Likert scale question presents a statement and asks respondents to indicate their level of agreement, typically on a 5 or 7 point scale:

• Strongly Disagree
• Disagree
• Neutral
• Agree
• Strongly Agree

This format works beautifully for measuring attitudes that don't fit into simple yes/no categories. "I feel valued at work", "The checkout process was easy", "I would use this product again" - these nuanced statements need nuanced response options.

Likert scales are a staple of both customer experience surveys and employee engagement surveys because they strike the right balance between simplicity for the respondent and meaningful data for analysis.

When Numbers Aren't Enough

Your employee satisfaction survey comes back and 67% of staff "Agree" or "Strongly Agree" that they feel supported by management. That sounds positive, but what about the other 33%? And what does "supported" actually mean to different people?

This is the limitation of agreement scales. They're fantastic for benchmarking and tracking trends, but they can obscure the specific issues that need your attention. Two people might both select "Disagree" for completely different reasons, and without context you're left guessing which problems to solve first.

Why Comments Change Everything

When you build surveys with Sunbeam's free survey maker, you can enable comments on any Likert scale question. This simple addition transforms your data from abstract percentages into actionable feedback.

That employee who selected "Disagree" on feeling supported? With comments enabled, they might add: "My manager is great, but I never know what's happening in other departments." Suddenly you're not questioning your management training - you're looking at internal communications.

Let AI Uncover the Full Picture

Comments are powerful, but not everyone takes the time to write them. Sunbeam's Asklet feature solves this by turning your Likert scale question into an intelligent
conversation.

When a respondent selects "Disagree", Asklet doesn't just accept the rating and move on. It follows up naturally:

• "I noticed you disagreed - could you share what's behind that?"
• "What would need to change for you to feel differently?"
• "Is there a specific experience that shaped your response?"

It's like embedding a skilled researcher into your online survey creator. Asklet draws out the insights that people might not volunteer in a static comment box, giving you richer data from every response.

When to Use Likert Scale Questions

Likert scales shine in scenarios where you need to measure degree rather than simple preference:

Customer Experience

• Service satisfaction surveys
• Product feedback questionnaires
• Post-interaction feedback forms
• Website usability assessments

Employee Experience

• Engagement and culture surveys
• Manager effectiveness feedback
• Training evaluation surveys
• Pulse surveys on workplace sentiment

Ready to capture nuanced feedback without losing the story behind it? Sunbeam is a free online survey tool that lets you create Likert scale questions with built-in comments and AI-powered follow-up conversations.