For my dissertation research, I am developing a survey to measure employees’ perception of informal learning environment using factor analysis and I am using the 5 point Likert Scale to get higher response rate. 7 point Scale could be very confusing and might deter subjects (in my study, these are business professionals, like salespeople, HR, etc) from completing the survey. I am already in the process of data collection and now I am a little concerned about the scale I am using.
Attached is an article by Dawes (2008) in ‘International Journal of Market Research” which proposes that 5 point and 7 point Likert Scale was comparable (although they might need to be rescaled). Can anyone direct me to other published article that discusses the strength and weaknesses of using 5 point vs. 7 point Likert Scale?
Thank you for your help