Research Tips

Ratings and Rankings Are Not the Same

Surveys frequently include questions that ask participants to rate or rank things (for example, the importance of different product attributes or preferences for different brands). While people sometimes use the terms “rate” and “rank” interchangeably, each has a specific meaning:

A ranking implies an ordering of attributes. For example, respondents might be asked to rank five attributes in order of importance from 1 to 5.
A rating means independent valuations of attributes. For example, respondents might be asked to rate each of five attributes on a scale going from “very unimportant” to “very important”.

The differences between rating and ranking have implications for the types of analysis that can be conducted once the data has been collected.