Affective Polarization Scale (APS)

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Description The Affective Polarization Scale (APS; McMurtrie et al., 2024) measures affective polarization, which encompasses expressed aversion and dislike towards members of one’s political outgroup. The initial development involved generating 35 items, which were evaluated for content validity, resulting in 27 items. Among these, 9 items were inspired by social distance studies, 7 items related to trait ratings, and 11 items focused on schadenfreude and incivility. Data was collected through three studies, and factor analysis supported a final 15-item scale across three dimensions: social distance, aversion, and incivility. Reliability and validity results were also reported.
Author McMurtrie, Brandon; Philipp, Michael; Hebden, Ross; Williams, Matt
Purpose The APS assesses dimensions of affective polarization, including social distance, aversion, and incivility. Affective polarization is defined as the degree of antipathy one holds towards their outgroup, expressed as negative evaluations, a desire for social distance, and incivility towards the outgroup.
Construct Affective Polarization
Instrument Type Inventory/Questionnaire
Factors and Subscales Factors: Social distance; Aversion; Incivility
Test Items Available Yes
Number of items This is a 15-item measure.
Format Items are rated with responses ranging from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree.
Administration Method Electronic
Reliability Internal consistency: Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .90 to .94 among the factors and .96 for the total scale. Macdonald’s ωt coefficients were within 0.002 of the corresponding α’s.
Validity Content validity: Items had an I-CVI of 0.67, considered fair by Polit et al. (2007). Construct (convergent) validity: Scores significantly correlated with the original measure of affective polarization and related constructs like authoritarianism, identity strength, and need for closure.
Factor Analysis Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a three-factor solution explaining 67.1% of common variance, which cumulatively explained 72% of variance when retaining the five highest loading items from each domain. Fit indices indicated good model fit with RMSEA = 0.10 and SRMR = 0.03.
Test Methodology Test Validity; Construct Validity; Content Validity; Convergent Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Factor Analysis; Confirmatory Factor Analysis; Exploratory Factor Analysis
Classification 7600 Social, Group, and Interpersonal Relationships
Age Group Adulthood (18 years & older)
Population Group Human; Male; Female
Population Details Location: United States; Respondents: Adult Residents
Keywords Affective Polarization; Social Distance; Aversion; Incivility; Political Outgroup Aversion
Index Terms Aversion; Ingroup Outgroup; Social Approval; Social Behavior; Social and Interpersonal Measures; Incivility
Files No file is available for download.
Source Reference McMurtrie, B., Philipp, M., Hebden, R., & Williams, M. (2024). Development and validation of the Affective Polarization Scale. International Review of Social Psychology, 37(1), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.5334/irsp.926
Author Identifiers Philipp, Michael http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8203-8018; Hebden, Ross http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0217-7796; Williams, Matt http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0571-215X

Scale Items

The following items are presented as templates; participants will specify the target group (indicated by ____) they are evaluating.

  • I would be upset if my friend married a ____.

  • I would be upset if a close family member married a ____.

  • I would not like it if a ____ moved into the house next door.

  • I avoid forming friendships with ____.

  • I try to avoid socializing with ____.

  • ____ are hypocritical.

  • ____ are immoral.

  • ____ are unfriendly.

  • ____ are dangerous.

  • ____ are mean.

  • I am happy when negative things happen to ____.

  • I am happy when ____ look bad.

  • I like to make ____ angry.

  • I like to see ____ put in their place.

  • It is appropriate to mock ____.

5. Response Format (Repeated for emphasis)

  • Items are rated with responses ranging from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree.”

Cite this article

Mohammed looti (2025). Affective Polarization Scale (APS). Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Retrieved from https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/affective-polarization-scale-aps/

Mohammed looti. "Affective Polarization Scale (APS)." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 29 Oct. 2025, https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/affective-polarization-scale-aps/.

Mohammed looti. "Affective Polarization Scale (APS)." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 2025. https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/affective-polarization-scale-aps/.

Mohammed looti (2025) 'Affective Polarization Scale (APS)', Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Available at: https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/affective-polarization-scale-aps/.

[1] Mohammed looti, "Affective Polarization Scale (APS)," Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, October, 2025.

Mohammed looti. Affective Polarization Scale (APS). Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. 2025;vol(issue):pages.

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