Use an Opinion Scale question when respondents need to express an opinion, level of satisfaction, agreement, ease of use, or another evaluation using a defined numeric scale.
You can also add labels to the beginning, middle, and end of the scale to clarify what different scores mean.
For example:
Overall, how satisfied are you with your shopping experience?
The scale could use labels such as:
Dissatisfied — Neutral — Very satisfied
When you create an online survey, use an Opinion Scale when you want respondents' evaluations to produce numerical data that can be compared and analysed.
How to add an Opinion Scale question
Open your survey from My Surveys and go to the Create phase.
Select Opinion Scale from the available question types, then click it to add the question or drag and drop it into the required position.
In the Label field, enter exactly what respondents should evaluate.
Instead of:
How would you rate this?
use a more specific question, such as:
How satisfied are you with the speed of our customer support?
or:
To what extent do you agree that the registration process was easy?
or:
How would you rate the quality of the training content?
You can also type @ in the Label to insert an answer from a previous question or a Custom Variable.
For example:
How satisfied are you with your experience using @[Service]?
Use Description to clarify the evaluation criteria
Use Description when respondents need additional guidance about what they should consider before choosing a score.
For example:
Label:
How satisfied are you with the company's training programme?
Description:
Choose your rating based on content quality, access to resources, and how useful you found the training.
A clear Description gives respondents a more consistent frame of reference when evaluating the same experience.
You can also type @ in Description to insert a previous answer or a Custom Variable.
How to choose the Scale type
Under Scale type, choose how respondents interact with the scale.
Two options are available:
Numeric
Displays the available numbers directly so respondents can select the score that represents their answer.
Slider
Lets respondents choose a score by moving a slider along the scale.
Choose the format that best fits the question and the response experience you want to create.
How to set the Scale and Labels
Use Scale to control the number of available points and whether the scale starts at 1 or 0.
By default, the scale starts at 1.
When the scale starts at 1, you can set it from 3 to 11 points.
When Start at Zero is enabled, the scale can contain 2 to 10 points.
After choosing the scale length, use Labels to explain what the different parts of the scale mean.
The available label positions are:
- Right
- Middle
- Left
With an odd number of scale points, you can add labels to the beginning, middle, and end of the scale.
With an even number of points, labels are available for the two ends.
For an agreement scale, for example:
Disagree — Neutral — Strongly agree
For satisfaction:
Dissatisfied — Neutral — Very satisfied
Make sure respondents can understand the direction and meaning of the scale before selecting a score.
What if every scale point needs its own label?
Opinion Scale is designed around numerical points with labels at selected positions on the scale.
If every possible response needs its own text label, use a Multiple Choice question instead.
You can define each answer option separately and use Add secondary label to choices to assign a numerical code to each option.
For example:
- Very poor → 1
- Poor → 2
- Acceptable → 3
- Good → 4
- Excellent → 5
Secondary labels are not shown to respondents and can be used in exported results.
This gives respondents fully labelled answer choices while still providing structured values for further analysis.
How to add an image or video
Enable Image or Video when respondents need visual context before choosing a score.
For example, you could show a product design and ask:
How much do you like this design?
Add an image
Select Image, click Choose, and upload a JPG, PNG, or GIF file no larger than 2 MB.
Add a video
Select Video, then enter the relevant video link in the field provided.
Use media that directly supports what respondents are being asked to evaluate.
How to adjust the layout on mobile and desktop
When you add an image, use Layout to control how it appears separately on:
- Mobile
- Desktop
Review both layouts before publishing, especially when respondents need to examine the image before choosing their score.
How to make the Opinion Scale question required
Enable Required when respondents must provide a score before submitting the survey.
This may be appropriate when the Opinion Scale is a key measure in a satisfaction or evaluation survey.
If the question does not apply to every respondent, consider leaving it optional so respondents are not required to evaluate an experience they did not have.
Hide the question number
Enable Hide question number when you do not want the Opinion Scale question number displayed.
This changes the way the question appears without affecting the score respondents submit.
How to view, export, and analyse Opinion Scale responses
Once responses start coming in, go to the Report phase and open the Results Table to review the scores submitted by respondents.
Use Export when you need the response data in Excel or CSV format.
In the analysis and charts section, Opinion Scale questions can be reviewed using available chart types together with statistical measures such as:
- Mean
- Variance
- Standard deviation
For example, if customers rate their shopping experience on a five-point scale, the mean provides an overall view of satisfaction, while variance and standard deviation help show whether respondents' scores are closely grouped or more widely spread.
Make the meaning of the scale clear
A useful Opinion Scale depends on more than the number of points.
Before publishing, make sure respondents can clearly understand:
- What they are evaluating.
- What the two ends of the scale mean.
- Which direction represents a higher score.
Use clear Labels and, when necessary, a Description so respondents interpret the scale consistently.
If you don't have an account yet, you can create a Porsline account and start building your survey.
If you're already using Porsline and need help, contact us at [email protected].