Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (LGB-KAS)

Abstract

The Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (LGB-KAS) is a 28-item self-report instrument designed to measure respondents’ levels of knowledge and their multidimensional attitudes regarding Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) individuals and related issues. Developed through four comprehensive studies, the scale conceptualizes attitudes as complex and wide-ranging, moving beyond simple measures of homophobia. The LGB-KAS yields five distinct factor scores: Internalized Affirmativeness, Civil Rights Attitudes, Knowledge, Religious Conflict, and Hate. Higher factor scores indicate a stronger endorsement of the beliefs or a higher level of knowledge related to that specific factor. While primarily intended for self-identifying heterosexual respondents, the scale has also been utilized to assess internalized homonegativity among LGB individuals.

Keywords

LGB-KAS, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Attitudes, Knowledge, Sexual Identity, Homonegativity, Civil Rights, Psychological Measurement, Psychometrics

Authors

Frank R. Dillon, Roger L. Worthington, Ann M. Becker-Schutte

Purpose

The primary purpose of the LGB-KAS is to provide a precise and multidimensional scientific measurement tool for evaluating attitudes and knowledge concerning LGB individuals. This development arose from the recognized complexities and divergent social trends in the United States regarding LGB issues, including increasing visibility, ongoing civil rights battles, and corresponding increases in both positive attitudes and publicized violence.

By offering increased precision in range and dimensionality, the scale allows researchers to capture the nuanced nature of societal perspectives, moving beyond unidimensional measures of acceptance or prejudice. It serves as a vital tool for assessing changes in attitudes, informing educational interventions, and understanding the psychological factors underlying support or hostility toward the LGB community.

Construct

The LGB-KAS is founded on the conceptualization that attitudes toward LGB individuals are multidimensional. The scale measures five distinct, yet interrelated, constructs or factors:

• Internalized Affirmativeness: Measures the respondent’s willingness to engage in proactive social activism for LGB issues and their internal sense of comfort regarding same-sex attractions.
• Civil Rights Attitudes: Reflects beliefs concerning the civil rights of LGB individuals, specifically related to areas such as marriage equality, child rearing, health care access, and insurance benefits.
• Knowledge: Assesses basic factual knowledge about the history, key symbols (e.g., the pink triangle), and significant organizations related to the LGB community (e.g., PFLAG, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force).
• Religious Conflict: Captures conflictual beliefs and ambivalent homonegativity often rooted in religious views, where respondents may struggle to reconcile their faith with acceptance of LGB individuals.
• Hate: Measures explicit negative attitudes, encompassing avoidance, self-consciousness, overt hatred, and potential violence toward LGB individuals.

Validity

The validity of the LGB-KAS was established across multiple studies (Worthington, Dillon, & Becker-Schutte, 2005). Discriminant validity was demonstrated by the lack of significant correlation between the total scale/subscales and a measure of impression management, ensuring the scale measures genuine attitudes rather than just socially desirable responses.

Construct validity was robustly supported through several findings: (a) successful exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirming the five-factor structure; (b) observed correlations between LGB-KAS subscales and established constructs like social dominance orientation and sexual identity exploration; and (c) empirical evidence showing expected differences in scores between heterosexual and LGB individuals across all five subscales. Furthermore, convergent validity was supported by positive correlations between the LGB-KAS subscales and other measures assessing attitudes toward lesbian women, gay men, and bisexuality. Later research also confirmed the scale’s utility in measuring internalized homonegativity within LGB populations.

Reliability

The reliability of the LGB-KAS subscales has been consistently demonstrated through measures of internal consistency and stability over time. Internal consistency, measured using Cronbach’s alpha, met adequate psychometric standards, generally exceeding the threshold of .70 in published studies (Worthington et al., 2005).

Additionally, test-retest reliability estimates confirmed that the LGB-KAS subscale scores are highly stable when administered over a 2-week interval, suggesting the instrument provides consistent measurement of the underlying constructs across time.

Factor Analysis

The development process involved extensive item generation and refinement, starting with 211 initial items derived from literature reviews on homophobia, racism, sexism, and models of sexual identity development. This pool was reduced to 60 items for initial testing.

An initial Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed on the 60 remaining items using principal axis factor extraction and an oblique rotation. This analysis yielded the most interpretable solution as a five-factor model. Subsequently, Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were conducted in Study 2 to establish the stability and robustness of this initial EFA solution, confirming the five-factor structure that defines the scale’s five subscales: Internalized Affirmativeness, Civil Rights Attitudes, Knowledge, Religious Conflict, and Hate.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report scale, Psychological attitudes and knowledge measure

Format: 28 items utilizing a 6-point Likert-type scale

Language Available: English

Population Group: Primarily intended for heterosexual adults, but applicable to LGB individuals for measuring internalized homonegativity.

Age Group: Adults (based on typical university and general population samples used in validation studies)

Population Details: Respondents must be able to self-report on attitudes and knowledge related to LGB individuals.

Test Methodology: Participants rate each statement based on how characteristic it is of them or their views, ranging from 1 (Very Uncharacteristic of Me or My Views) to 6 (Very Characteristic of Me or My Views). Completion time is approximately 10 minutes.

Keywords

Psychological assessment, Sexual orientation, Attitudes toward minorities, Social activism, Religious ambivalence, Homophobia, EFA, CFA, Psychometrics

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Roger L. Worthington)

Correspondence Address: Roger L. Worthington, 217 Jesse Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: Initial development and validation published in 2005 (Worthington, Dillon, & Becker-Schutte, 2005).

Permissions/Fee: Not specified in the source material. Contact corresponding author Roger L. Worthington for usage permissions.

Reference’s

• Cloud, J. (2008, February 18). Prosecuting the gay teen murder. Time, 172. Retrieved September 26, 2008, from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1714214,00.html
• Worthington, R. L., Dillon, F. R., & Becker-Schutte, A. M. (2005). Development, reliability, and validity of the LGB Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 104–118.
• Worthington, R. L., & Reynolds, A. L. (2009). Within group differences in sexual orientation and identity. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56, 44–55.
• Worthington, R. L., Savoy, H. B., Dillon, F. R., & Vernaglia, E. R. (2002). Heterosexual identity development: A multidimensional model of individual and social identity. The Counseling Psychologist, 30, 496–531.
• Yang, A. (2000). From wrong to rights: Public opinions on gay and les- bian Americans’ move toward equality. Washington, DC: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Institute.

Items of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (LGB-KAS)

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

Instructions: Please use the scale below to respond to the following items. Circle the number that indicates the extent to which each statement is characteristic or uncharacteristic of you or your views. Please try to respond to every item.

Very Very Uncharacteristic Characteristic of Me or My of Me or My Views Views Note: LGB = Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual.

Please consider the ENTIRE statement when making your rating, as some statements contain two parts.

1. I feel qualified to educate others about how to be affirmative regarding LGB issues.

   1 2 3 4 5 6

2. I have conflicting attitudes or beliefs about LGB people.

3. I can accept LGB people even though I condemn their behavior.

4. It is important to me to avoid LGB individuals.

5. I could educate others about the history and symbolism behind the “pink triangle.”

6. I have close friends who are LGB.

7. I have difficulty reconciling my religious views with my interest in being accepting of LGB people.

8. I would be unsure what to do or say if I met someone who is openly lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

9. Hearing about a hate crime against an LGB person would not bother me.

10. I am knowledgeable about the significance of the Stonewall Riot to the Gay Liberation Movement.

11. I think marriage should be legal for same-sex couples.

12. I keep my religious views to myself in order to accept LGB people.

13. I conceal my negative views toward LGB people when I am with someone who doesn’t share my views.

14. I sometimes think about being violent toward LGB people.

15. Feeling attracted to another person of the same sex would not make me uncomfortable.

16. I am familiar with the work of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

17. I would display a symbol of gay pride (pink triangle, rainbow, etc.) to show my support of the LBG community.

18. I would feel self-conscious greeting a known LGB person in a public place.

19. I have had sexual fantasies about members of my same sex.

20. I am knowledgeable about the history and mission of the PFLAG organization.

21. I would attend a demonstration to promote LGB civil rights.

22. I try not to let my negative beliefs about LGB people harm my relationships with the lesbian, gay, or bisexual individuals I know.

23. Hospitals should acknowledge same-sex partners equally to any other next of kin.

24. LGB people deserve the hatred they receive.

25. It is important to teach children positive attitudes toward LGB people.

26. I conceal my positive attitudes toward LGB people when I am with someone who is homophobic.

27. Health benefits should be available equally to same-sex partners as to any other couple.

28. It is wrong for courts to make child custody decisions based on a parent’s sexual orientation.

Scoring:

Hate = 4, 24, 8, 14, 9, 18

Knowledge = 20, 10, 16, 5, 1

Civil Rights = 27, 23, 11, 28, 25‌

Religious Conflict = 26, 12, 22, 7, 3, 13, 2

Internalized Affirmativeness = 19, 15, 17, 6, 21

There are no reverse-scored items. Subscale scores are obtained by averaging ratings on items receiving a response for each participant. Thus, if Item 19 is not rated by a specific respondent, only the remaining four items on the Internalized Affirmativeness subscale are used to obtain the average, and so on. This method ensures comparable scores when there are missing data.

The 6-point rating scale follows each of the items.