The transferability of rating scale techniques to transport research in a developing country.

This study discusses the problems associated with using rating scale techniques in cross-cultural research. The objective of the study was to assess which of four types of rating scale (verbal, numerical, visual and graphic line) was the most appropriate to measure the level of satisfaction with various attributes of the transport system expressed by seven population subgroups. english, Afrikaans, coloured, indian, Xhosa, northern Sotho and Zulu commuters were interviewed. The transport issues covered were accessibility, cost, crowding and punctuality. Many problems with respondent interpretation of rating scales were uncovered, most notably a lack of familiarity with the basic concept of an equal-interval continuous rating scale. Of particular interest to researchers is the finding that so-called 'culture-fair' rating scales (those not requiring literacy or numeracy) may be subject to serious problems. The author recommends the use of short verbal rating scales to measure the levels of satisfaction with transport attributes in developing countries and stresses the importance of careful translation into other languages, where relevant. The length of the rating scale should be based on the levels of feeling normally expressed by the respondents on the topic. (Author/publisher) for the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 286978.