Like confirmation bias, unbalanced scales will sway answers by limiting users' choices. This type of survey question offers an unequal amount of positive selections and negative selections to choose from. Therefore, the scale is weighted and biased toward one direction.

For example, "How much did you enjoy your experience on a scale of 1 (enjoyed it a little) to 5 (enjoyed it a lot)?" doesn't have a negative option. Another example is a question with a scale where the midpoint isn't neutral: "How would you rate your most recent experience at our restaurant?" with options “Great,” “Very good,” “Good,” “Okay,” and “Poor.”

A way to combat this problem is to provide the respondents with the extremes using a point scale (e.g., 1 to 5). Labeling the anchor 5 as high and 1 as low allows respondents to understand that 3 is the mid-point.^[1]