Best Practices for Survey Rating Scales

To ensure surveys across the State of Iowa are clear, consistent, and easy to interpret, this page provides a reference guide to commonly used rating scale labels. These recommended scales are designed to improve the quality of survey data and make results easier to communicate—whether you're measuring satisfaction, agreement, likelihood, or frequency.

The table below outlines examples of fully labeled 5-point scales, along with guidance on how to apply Top Two Box scoring, which highlights the percentage of respondents selecting the most favorable responses (e.g., “Excellent” or “Very Good”). You’ll also find best practices for using text-based labels instead of numbers, and when it’s appropriate to include options like “Don’t Know” or “N/A.”

These practices are not mandatory but are strongly recommended to help you design surveys that are accessible, meaningful, and aligned with Iowa’s commitment to quality public service.

Understanding Top Two Box Scoring in Surveys

Scores can range from 0 to 100 and measure the % of customers who evaluated their experience as Excellent or Very Good.  Other scale points are also available and can be displayed online or in reports.  A score of about 70% is considered positive and above 80%, best-in-class.  Scores less than 60% are considered weak.

Why textual labels instead of numeric?   

• Preference: Respondents prefer to give word ratings than numeric ratings
• Communication: Textual labels allow for easier communication of results again. It enables us to say “80% of customers “Strongly Agree” or “Somewhat Agree” that Company A is trustworthy” rather than “80% of customers said “5” or “4” on ‘Company A is a company I can trust’”

Should I include a "Don’t Know" or "N/A" option in a rating scale?

• It’s not recommended for any question except when asking about very specific experiences (see below). Better to let them skip the question.   
  • Relational surveys:  There is rarely if ever a logical, rational, emotional reason to have N/A included on the NPS behavioral question. If a customer has interacted in any way, no matter the length of time, they have developed or have begun to develop an attitude toward the organization. They can reasonably answer the question. Better to have them skip the question.
  • Touchpoint surveys:  However, it may be more acceptable to ask in touchpoint.
    • Example: If they are vegans and never visit the meat department, N/A is appropriate for the touchpoint.