The lowest level of scale that you can use to evaluate consumer attitudes toward the new beverage is a nominal scale.
A nominal scale is the simplest type of measurement scale, where data is categorized into distinct groups or categories. In this case, you can assign labels to the different attitudes consumers may have towards the new beverage, such as "favorable" and "unfavorable". By using a nominal scale, you can collect data on the overall distribution of attitudes without assigning any numerical values or establishing a hierarchy among the responses.
For example, you could design a survey where respondents choose one of the following options: "I like the new beverage", "I don't like the new beverage", or "I am undecided". These options represent different categories on the nominal scale and allow you to gather information about consumer attitudes.
Keep in mind that a nominal scale does not provide information about the intensity or strength of attitudes. If you want to measure the degree to which consumers hold favorable attitudes, you would need to use a higher level of scale, such as an ordinal scale, which allows for ranking or rating responses on a scale of preference. However, in terms of the lowest level of scale, a nominal scale is appropriate for categorizing consumer attitudes towards the new beverage.
I hope this explanation clarifies the concept for you. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!