Identification with All Humanity Scale (IWAHS)

Abstract

The Identification with All Humanity Scale (IWAHS) is a widely utilized psychometric instrument designed to measure the extent to which an individual identifies with the entirety of humankind, transcending local community and national boundaries. Developed by S. McFarland and D. Brown, this scale operationalizes the concept of global identity, often referred to as cosmopolitanism or universalism, by assessing feelings of closeness, commonality, concern, and loyalty towards three nested social groups: the local community, the nation, and the world population. The IWAHS is crucial for research in social psychology, ethics, and political science, particularly in understanding motivations for global altruism, human rights advocacy, and intergroup harmony.

Keywords

Identification with All Humanity, global identity, cosmopolitanism, social identity, universalism, global citizenship, psychological scale, altruism, intergroup relations

Authors

S. McFarland, D. Brown

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Identification with All Humanity Scale (IWAHS) is to provide a reliable and valid measure of an individual’s sense of belonging and connectedness to the human species as a whole. Unlike scales that focus solely on local or national ingroup identification, the IWAHS systematically contrasts these levels of identification against a broader, global identity. This allows researchers to quantify the strength of universal identification, which is hypothesized to correlate positively with prosocial behaviors directed toward distant others and support for policies aimed at global welfare.

The scale serves to differentiate individuals who prioritize their local or national identities from those who possess a strong sense of global citizenship. This differentiation is vital for studying the psychological underpinnings of international cooperation, humanitarian action, and responses to global challenges such as climate change or pandemics.

Construct

The IWAHS measures Identification with All Humanity (IWAH), a specific and high-level dimension of social identity. IWAH is conceptualized as an emotional and cognitive sense of oneness with all people worldwide. It encompasses several key components:

• Cognitive Component: Recognizing shared attributes and common fate with all humans.
• Affective Component: Feeling emotional closeness, love, and concern for people globally.
• Evaluative Component: Valuing humanity as a significant and positive reference group.

The construct is often examined alongside concepts such as moral inclusion and expansive empathy. High scores on IWAHS suggest a moral circle that extends beyond traditional boundaries, positioning humanity itself as the ultimate ingroup, which has been shown to be a robust predictor of universal prosocial behavior.

Validity

Extensive research has established the convergent and discriminant validity of the IWAHS. Convergent validity is demonstrated through positive correlations with established measures of cosmopolitanism, global citizenship, and altruism. Individuals scoring high on IWAHS typically show greater concern for global issues and higher levels of intergroup tolerance.

Discriminant validity is supported by findings that IWAHS is distinct from, though related to, general personality traits such as agreeableness or openness. Furthermore, the global identification component (the “all humans” items) often shows weaker correlations with measures of patriotism or nationalism, suggesting that identification with humanity operates as a separate dimension from, or sometimes in opposition to, rigid national ingroup preference. The scale’s ability to predict real-world behaviors—such as charitable giving to international causes—further supports its predictive validity.

Reliability

The IWAHS demonstrates robust psychometric properties, exhibiting high internal consistency across diverse samples. Standard reliability analyses, typically using Cronbach’s alpha, consistently yield coefficients well above the acceptable threshold of .70, often surpassing .85 for the overall scale and for the specific sub-dimension focused on global identification. This high level of internal reliability confirms that the items measuring identification with humanity are coherently assessing the same underlying construct. Test-retest reliability studies also indicate stability of scores over time, confirming that IWAH is a stable individual difference variable rather than a fleeting state.

Factor Analysis

Factor analytical studies of the IWAHS generally support a hierarchical or multi-dimensional structure. While the scale measures identification across three nested levels (community, nation, world), analyses often reveal a primary factor reflecting general identification orientation. Crucially, studies frequently isolate a distinct factor representing identification specifically with “All Humanity” (IWAH). This global identification factor typically loads most heavily on the items corresponding to the broadest group (“People all over the world,” “All humans everywhere”).

Some research suggests a two-factor model, contrasting parochial identification (community/nation) versus universal identification (humanity), which underscores the scale’s utility in separating bounded identities from a truly global perspective. The consistency of these factor structures across different cultures confirms the cross-cultural relevance of the IWAHS as a measure of universal identity.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: Multi-item, structured response format using variations of the Likert scale.

Language Available: English (original), and adapted versions in numerous languages globally (e.g., German, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic).

Population Group: General population, primarily used with adults and university students.

Age Group: Adolescents (16+) and Adults.

Population Details: Used in cross-cultural studies to examine variations in global identity across different national contexts. The scale includes a note allowing for substitution of the specific country name (“Americans”) when administered internationally.

Test Methodology: The scale uses 9 core questions, each probing a different facet of identification (closeness, commonality, use of “we,” concern, desire to help, etc.). For each core question, the respondent rates their relationship with three distinct groups (community, nation, world), yielding a total of 27 data points, though only the ‘c’ items are summed for the core IWAHS score.

Keywords

psychological measurement, scale development, global citizenship, moral circle, social psychology, universal concern, cross-cultural research, IWAHS

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not publicly provided in the source material (N/A)

Affiliation Email addresses: Not publicly provided in the source material (N/A)

Correspondence Address: Western Kentucky University (Affiliation of authors at time of key publications)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: The scale is generally available for non-commercial academic research use, though specific permissions should be sought from the primary authors (S. McFarland or D. Brown).

Fee: Typically free for academic use.

Test Year: The scale was developed and published in key academic articles around 2012–2014, following initial research into the construct of Identification with All Humanity.

Reference’s

The primary theoretical and empirical foundations for the IWAHS can be found in the works of McFarland and Brown. The original PDF referenced in the source content, detailing the scale and its ethical context, can be downloaded here: 86346644N36-2.pdf. The title of the associated manuscript is: “WHO BELIEVES THAT IDENTIFICATION WITH ALL HUMANITY IS ETHICAL?”

• McFarland, S., Brown, D., & Webb, M. (2012). Identification with all humanity: A measure of global identity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(5), 830–848.
• McFarland, S., & Brown, D. (Year Varies). WHO BELIEVES THAT IDENTIFICATION WITH ALL HUMANITY IS ETHICAL? Western Kentucky University.

Items of the Identification with All Humanity Scale (IWAHS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Identification with All Humanity Scale (IWAHS)

S. McFarland – D. Brown

1. How close do you feel to each of the following groups?

1 = not at all close

2= not very close

3 = just a little or somewhat close

4 = pretty close

5 = very close

a. People in my community

b. Americans

c. People all over the world

2. How often do you use the word “we” to refer to the following groups of people?

1 = almost never

2 = rarely

3 = occasionally

4 = often

5 = very often

a. People in my community

b. Americans

c. People all over the world

3. How much would you say you have in common with the following groups?

1 = almost nothing in common

2 = little in common

3 = some in common

4 = quite a bit in common

5 = very much in common

a. People in my community

b. Americans

c. People all over the world

Please answer all remaining questions using the following choices:

1 = not at all

2 = just a little

3 = somewhat

4 = quite a bit

5 = very much

4. Sometimes people think of those who are not a part of their immediate family as “family.” To what degree do you think of the following groups of people as “family?

a. People in my community

b. Americans

c. All humans everywhere

5. How much do you identify with (that is‚ feel a part of‚ feel love toward‚ have concern for) each of the following?

a. People in my community

b. Americans

c. All humans everywhere

6. How much would you say you care (feel upset‚ want to help) when bad things happens to

a. People in my community.

b. Americans.

c. People anywhere in the world.

7. How much do you want to be:

a. a responsible citizen of your community.

b. a responsible American citizen.

c. a responsible citizen of the world.

8. How much do you believe in:

a. being loyal to my community.

b. being loyal to America.

c. being loyal to all mankind.

9. When they are in need‚ how much do you want to help:

a. people in my community.

b. Americans.

c. people all over the world.

*Note: When administered in other countries‚ that country’s name may be substituted for “Americans.”