A classic dilemma when building a questionnaire is whether to use an even or an odd answer scale. Those in favor of the even scale argue that it prevents the answerers to “drift to the middle”... as if there was something wrong with it.
In our opinion, the choice of the middle is not drifting, but a legitimate choice with the same meaning as any other choice. Actually, the fact that the even scale “forces” the answerer to be pro or contra seems to us the opposite of the reality where it is possible not to take sides but remain indecisive.
As a result, it seems that the odd scale enables the answerer to reflect in a more reliable and natural way the range of its feelings.
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