Perceived value scale: PERVAL and Dodds (1991)

Perceived value is a customer's evaluation of what they receive compared with what they give up, including money, time, and effort. Zeithaml (1988) defined it as a trade-off between benefits and costs; Sweeney and Soutar (2001) extended it into four dimensions: quality, emotional, price, and social. The concept sits within the price-quality-value model of Dodds et al. (1991), Sheth's theory of consumption values, and UTAUT2. Common topics: perceived value of clean food, fashion, ride-hailing services, and e-wallets.

Comparing the scales

Items of each scale

Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or [brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.

Quality Value (Functional Value, Performance/Quality) (QV) · Perceived value scale (PERVAL)

Code	Item
QV1	[Product] has consistent quality.
QV2	[Product] is well made.
QV3	[Product] has an acceptable standard of quality.
QV4 (R)	[Product] has poor workmanship.
QV5 (R)	[Product] would not last a long time.
QV6	[Product] would perform consistently.

Source: Sweeney & Soutar (2001). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Perceived value scale (PERVAL).

Use in the survey kit Open all of Perceived value scale (PERVAL) (4 constructs)

Emotional Value (EV) · Perceived value scale (PERVAL)

Code	Item
EV1	[Product] is one that I would enjoy.
EV2	[Product] would make me want to use it.
EV3	[Product] is one that I would feel relaxed about using.
EV4	[Product] would make me feel good.
EV5	[Product] would give me pleasure.

Source: Sweeney & Soutar (2001). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Perceived value scale (PERVAL).

Use in the survey kit

Price Value (Functional Value, Price/Value for Money) (PV) · Perceived value scale (PERVAL)

Code	Item
PV1	[Product] is reasonably priced.
PV2	[Product] offers value for money.
PV3	[Product] is a good product for the price.
PV4	[Product] would be economical.

Source: Sweeney & Soutar (2001). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Perceived value scale (PERVAL).

Use in the survey kit

Social Value (SV) · Perceived value scale (PERVAL)

Code	Item
SV1	[Product] would help me to feel acceptable.
SV2	[Product] would improve the way I am perceived.
SV3	[Product] would make a good impression on other people.
SV4	[Product] would give its owner social approval.

Source: Sweeney & Soutar (2001). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Perceived value scale (PERVAL).

Use in the survey kit

Perceived Value (PV) · Willingness to buy scale

Code	Item
PV1	This product is a: (very good … very poor) value for the money.
PV2	At the price shown the product is: (very economical … very uneconomical).
PV3	The product is considered to be a very good buy.
PV4	The price shown for the product is: (very acceptable … very unacceptable).
PV5	The product appears to be a bargain.

Source: Dodds, Monroe & Grewal (1991). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Willingness to buy scale.

Use in the survey kit

Price Value (PV) · UTAUT2 scale

Code	Item
PV1	[mobile Internet] is reasonably priced.
PV2	[mobile Internet] is a good value for the money.
PV3	At the current price, [mobile Internet] provides a good value.

Source: Venkatesh et al. (2012). Response scale, licence and APA reference: UTAUT2 scale.

Use in the survey kit

(R): reverse-coded item; recode before analysis. Perceived value scale (PERVAL): 1–7 scale: new score = 1 + 7 − score = 8 − score; 1–5 scale: new score = 1 + 5 − score = 6 − score.

Tips

• PERVAL has 19 items in 4 dimensions. If you only need one overall value construct, use the 5 items of Dodds et al. for a shorter questionnaire.
• Items QV4 and QV5 of PERVAL are reverse-coded (poorly made, would not last long). Reverse the scores before analysis.
• The Dodds PV scale uses bipolar anchors (very worthwhile ... very not worthwhile). When converting to an agreement Likert scale, rewrite as affirmative statements so that a high score means high value.
• Replace [Product] with the specific product name; generic wording makes it hard for respondents to picture what they are rating.

Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Is perceived value unidimensional or multidimensional?

Both are used. Dodds et al. (1991) measure value as a unidimensional construct. Sweeney and Soutar (2001) measure it with 4 dimensions. Choose by your research question: use PERVAL if you want to know which dimension matters.

How does perceived value differ from perceived price?

Perceived price is only an evaluation of the price level. Perceived value compares the benefits received with the costs paid, so an expensive product can still have high perceived value.

How do I use PERVAL in PLS-SEM?

You can enter the 4 dimensions as 4 separate independent variables, or model perceived value as a second-order construct with 4 first-order dimensions. The second approach requires stating the method clearly (repeated indicators or two-stage).