Read a rating scale without losing the distribution

Keep the labels attached to the values

The water-bottle concept example asks: How appealing is a reusable 20-ounce stainless-steel water bottle with a leak-resistant lid, a removable tea infuser, and a dishwasher-safe body?

This is an appeal rating scale, rather than an agreement statement. The same principles of keeping labels and distributions visible apply to Likert-style agreement items. Results come from the Simsurveys simConsumer model on October 15, 2026, with no demographic filters or conditioning. Download the exact query and probabilities.

Download the water-bottle appeal results (CSV).

Show all five categories first

• Very appealing: 35.3% predicted probability.
• Somewhat appealing: 36.4% predicted probability.
• Neither appealing nor unappealing: 16.7% predicted probability.
• Somewhat unappealing: 5.9% predicted probability.
• Very unappealing: 5.8% predicted probability.

The displayed probabilities total 100.1% because of rounding. They are not counts out of a sample. Combined unappealing is 11.7%; neutral is 16.7%.

Define a top-two-box calculation explicitly

For this item, combined appeal adds very and somewhat appealing: 35.3% + 36.4% = 71.7%. The strongest positive category alone is 35.3%. Name the categories behind the headline and retain the full distribution.

Select categories by their meaning, not just the largest numerical codes. When comparing outputs, keep wording, labels and context consistent.

Neutral is not the same as not applicable

“Neither agree nor disagree” is a position on the agreement scale. “Not applicable” or “I do not have enough information” describes a different reason for not giving a directional judgment. Decide whether those options belong before running the study. Do not recode them into neutral afterward without explaining the change.

For a benefit a person cannot assess from the concept, adding detail to the stimulus may be more useful than forcing a choice. In a simulation, including an uncertainty option does not by itself prove the system accurately recognizes its knowledge limits.

Treat averages as a disclosed coding choice

A coded average assumes numerical spacing between verbal labels. That assumption needs to be explicit, and an average should not replace the full distribution. Here we report the original probabilities and the named category sums, without imposing a numerical score.

Tie the result to the question actually asked

Concept appeal without a price does not establish purchase intent or sales. The separate $29 value question explores perceived value, but it does not establish an optimal price either.

The crosstab guide uses the complete oat-latte study to explain audience comparisons. These simConsumer questions have no demographic breakdowns.