Measurement Levels, Ratio

As the highest of the four levels of measurement (i.e., nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio), ratio level of measurement is the most precise and therefore, desirable to use in social scientific research. Ratio level of measurement includes all the characteristics of nominal, ordinal, and interval levels of measurement. However, ratio-level measures are distinguished from all other levels of measurement primarily because these measures feature a true zero point that denotes the absence of an object, event, or phenomena. This additional characteristic allows for ratio-level measures to be turned into ratio statements (e.g., a score of 2 on a ratio-level scale is twice as great as a score of one), which is where this level of measurement derives its name. Thus, ratio-level measures are ...