Algorithm, Search & Distribution
Satisfaction signals
Also called: viewer satisfaction, satisfaction metrics
YouTube's ranking systems separate two kinds of feedback. Engagement covers clicks and how much of a video someone watched. Satisfaction covers whether the viewer was pleased they watched it: likes, dislikes, dismissals, and the one to five star surveys YouTube shows a small slice of viewers. Only the four and five star ratings count as valued watch time.
Because those surveys reach a tiny fraction of views, YouTube trains models on the people who answer and predicts the answer for everyone else. There is no satisfaction score anywhere in Studio, so you never see the figure directly. The nearest thing you have is retention, the like ratio, and what people write in the comments.