Introduction
Likert scales are commonly used to measure opinions, attitudes, and perceptions by asking respondents to rate their level of agreement or disagreement with a statement on a scale (with ratings ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree etc.).
A very good example of Likert survey question is in the question below seeking the opinion of students regarding the quality of materials/instructions provided by trainers.
Such a survey question would result in a sample data like the one in the screen shot below.
(In the sample dataset above, you can see how different respondents rated the quality of different training materials – with ratings ranging from “Highly dissatisfied” to “Highly satisfied”)
With such kind of dataset (Likert scale data), there are several ways in which you can analyze, visualize, and present it.
In this article, I will be sharing five ways in which you can visualize such data in Tableau.
1. 100% stacked bar/column charts.
In a 100% stacked bar chart, the bars are split into colored bar segments placed on top of each other. Each bar height is fixed at 100%, with the colored bar segments representing respondent’s opinions computed relative to the (total number of respondents) total bar. This makes it easy to compare the relative distribution of responses across different questions or groups.
2. Multiple bars (separate bars)
In multiple bars, respondent’s opinions are represented as separate bars, making it easier for data consumers to read individual values. Though this viz simplifies the ability to read values, it tends to lose the comparison aspect (part to whole analysis), and again it consumes a lot of space which makes the viz unsuitable in space constrained dashboards.
3. Diverging bars
The diverging bar chart features two sets of bars that diverge from a central baseline, often representing neutral responses. This format facilitates comparison between two opposing sentiments, with one side indicating negative responses and the other positive. The central line represents the neutral responses.
4. Diverging bars with neutrals separate
Just like the diverging chart, this chart compares sentiments between two opposing sides. The only difference is that the neutral responses are represented as a separate bar chart.
5. Diverging bars with + ve & - ve opinions combined
This chart combines the positive and negative sentiments to get the overall perception of the two opposing sides.
Conclusion
Next time you’re visualizing survey data, try some of the ideas shared in this article to analyze, visualize, and present Likert scale data.
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