Feeling thermometer
A feeling thermometer, also known as a thermometer scale, is a type of visual analog scale that allows respondents to rank their views of a given subject on a scale from "cold" (indicating disapproval) to "hot" (indicating approval), analogous to the temperature scale of a real thermometer. It is often used in survey and political science research to measure how positively individuals feel about a given group, individual, issue, or organisation, as well as in quality of life research to measure individuals' subjective health status. It typically uses a rating scale with options ranging from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 100. Questions using the feeling thermometer have been included in every year of the American National Election Studies since 1968. Since its inclusion in a national forum, the tool has developed and become popular in both the political sphere and for medical and psychological research purposes. As it is a relatively new method of research and is still being studied and improved, the feeling thermometer is commonly criticised for its limits of accuracy and validity due to restricted research in certain fields. However, despite certain limitations, there is a great deal of experimentation and case studies using the feeling thermometer in both the medical and political spaces. Individuals' views can be easily gathered through this analogy scale, primarily to gauge an overall public opinion using the ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ temperature measurements. In addition, the feeling thermometer has a variety of applications in research to assist in understanding the burden of diseases and psychological states of people. (Wikipedia).
