Table 1.
Saaty’s 9-point pairwise importance scale. Modified from Saaty (1980).
| Ratio importance value scale | Judgement | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1/1 | Equal importance | The two alternatives are equally important |
| 3/1 | Moderate importance of one over another | Experience and judgement slightly favors one alternative over another |
| 5/1 | Strong importance | Experience and judgement strongly favors one alternative over another |
| 7/1 | Very strong importance | An alternative value is strongly favored over another and its dominance is demonstrated in practice |
| 9/1 | Extreme importance | The evidence favoring one alternative over another is of the highest possible order of affirmation |
| Reciprocal example | If element υ1/υm has one of the above ratio scale measurements assigned to it (e.g., “3/1”), then υm/υ1 is the reciprocal value (e.g., “1/3”) | |