People in General Scale

Abstract

The People in General Scale is a concise, 20-item psychological instrument developed by T.J. Banta in 1961. This scale is designed to measure an individual’s generalized belief system concerning the fundamental nature of others, often conceptualized along the dimension of social trust versus cynicism. The items explore various facets of human motivation, trustworthiness, morality, and reliability. This measure has been widely used in social psychology and political research, particularly as documented in comprehensive compilations of attitude measures, such as those published by Robinson and Shaver (1969).

Keywords

People in General Scale, T.J. Banta, Social Attitudes, Cynicism, Social Trust, Exploitativeness, Human Nature, Psychological Testing, Attitude Measurement.

Authors

T.J. Banta

Purpose

The primary purpose of the People in General Scale is to quantify the degree to which an individual holds optimistic or pessimistic views regarding the general populace. The scale serves as an indicator of an individual’s propensity for social trust or, conversely, their level of distrust and belief in the inherent exploitative nature of others. This measurement is crucial for understanding how generalized interpersonal orientations influence behavior in social, organizational, and political contexts.

Researchers often utilize this instrument to assess broad personality dimensions related to interpersonal security and worldview. By capturing stable attitudes about human reliability and motivation, the scale provides insight into factors that may underpin behaviors such as cooperation, political participation, and susceptibility to certain persuasive messages.

Construct

The underlying psychological construct measured by the People in General Scale is the dimension of generalized Social Cynicism or Faith in People. Cynicism, in this context, refers to the expectation that others are primarily motivated by self-interest, lack integrity, and are generally untrustworthy or exploitative. Conversely, a low score reflects a disposition of optimism and belief in the inherent goodness, kindness, and moral fiber of the majority of people.

The items operationalize this construct by probing beliefs about human resilience, work ethic, honesty, and the prevalence of viciousness. For instance, items related to honesty and trustworthiness contribute directly to the assessment of social trust, while statements concerning the necessity of force to motivate men speak to the perceived work ethic and inherent laziness of the population.

Validity

Although the original source content does not detail specific validity coefficients, the scale’s inclusion in major compilations of attitude measures suggests established construct validity through its correlation with related psychological variables. The scale is typically validated against measures of related constructs, such as Machiavellianism, political efficacy, and other established measures of faith in people (e.g., the Rosenberg Faith in People Scale).

Content validity is ensured by the breadth of the 20 items, which cover various aspects of human motivation, morality, and reliability. Empirical studies utilizing this instrument, particularly in the domain of political and social attitudes (Robinson & Shaver, 1969), support its utility in differentiating groups based on their generalized social outlook.

Reliability

Standard psychometric practices dictate that the People in General Scale possesses adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability, though specific coefficients are not provided in the summary source. Given the scale’s focus on stable, generalized attitudes, high internal consistency (typically measured via Cronbach’s Alpha) would be expected. The use of the scale across several decades of research further implies its reliability in consistently measuring the core construct of generalized social trust or cynicism.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the People in General Scale is generally interpreted as tapping into a dominant, unidimensional factor representing the continuum from social trust to cynicism. While complex factor structures may emerge depending on the specific population studied, the scale is fundamentally designed to yield a single, overall score of generalized attitude toward people. Early factor analyses, likely conducted by Banta (1961), aimed to confirm that the 20 items collectively load onto this primary factor, supporting its use as a measure of a singular underlying construct.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Measurement Scale, Attitudinal Inventory

Format: 20 items utilizing a Likert-type response format.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: General Population, often utilized with college students and adults in survey research.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 16 years and older).

Population Details: Used extensively in studies of personality, political science, and social psychology to assess generalized worldviews.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement. Two scoring formats are noted in the source: a 6-point scale (-‎-, -, 0, +, ++, ?) or a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (very exploitative) to 5 (very non-exploitative). Scoring requires careful handling of item reversals to ensure higher scores consistently reflect either cynicism or trust, depending on the chosen convention.

Keywords

Social Cynicism, Faith in People, Attitudinal Scale, Personality Assessment, Trustworthiness, Banta, Psychological Inventory, Social Research.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided.

Correspondence Address: Not provided.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The People in General Scale was first published in 1961 by T.J. Banta. As a classical instrument, it is generally considered to be in the public domain for academic and research use, particularly as documented in the widely referenced text by Robinson and Shaver (1969). There are typically no associated fees for academic use, though researchers should cite the original Banta (1961) publication.

The original PDF detailing this instrument can be found here: Measures of social psychological attitudes.

Reference’s

• Banta‚ T.J. (1961). Social attitudes and response styles. Educational and Psychological Measurement‚ 21‚ 543-557.
• Robinson‚ John P.‚ Shaver‚ Phillip R. (1969). Measures of Political Attitudes. Institute for Social Research‚ University of Michigan/. Ann Arbor‚ Michigan.

Items of the People in General Scale

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

1. Most men will fight back when insulted.
2. Generally speaking‚ most people do not truly believe in anything new until they have experienced it.
3. Anyone who completely trusts anyone else is asking for trouble.
4. Generally speaking‚ men won’t work hard unless they’re forced to do so.
5. Even the most hardened and vicious criminal has a spark of decency somewhere within him.
6. Any normal person will stand up for what he thinks is right even if it costs him his job.
7. Most people really don’t know what is best for them.
8. Some of the best people have some of the worst vices.
9. Most men forget more easily the death of their father than the loss of their property.
10. Men are quicker to praise than they are to blame.
11. Most men like to tackle new and difficult problems.
12. Most men are brave.
13. Nature has so created men that they desire everything but are unable to attain it.
14. The biggest difference between most criminals and other people is that criminals are stupid enough to get caught.
15. The best way to handle people is to tell them what they want to hear.
16. It is safest to assume that all people have a vicious streak and it will come out when they are given the chance.
17. Most people are basically good and kind.
18. Barnum was very wrong when he said that there’s a sucker born every minute.
19. When you come right down to it‚ it’s human nature never to do anything without an eye to one’s own advantage.
20. The great majority of men are more satisfied with what seems true than with the truth.