Attitudes Towards Social Issues scale (ATSI)

Abstract

The Attitudes Towards Social Issues scale (ATSI) is a psychological instrument developed by Ellerman in 1996. It was designed primarily as an unpublished measure to assess ethnocentrism and prejudice among the Australian population, particularly concerning contentious social and political debates of the mid-1990s. The 40-item scale utilizes a 7-point Likert response format to gauge attitudes across a range of subjects, including Indigenous Australian rights, migration policies, multiculturalism, and acceptance of various minority groups (racial, sexual, and mentally ill). The scale was notably utilized in subsequent academic research, such as Fiona Swee-Lin Price’s 2000 doctoral dissertation, to explore the relationship between intercultural contact and ethnocentric viewpoints.

Keywords

Ethnocentrism, Social Attitudes, Australia, Racism, Prejudice, Multiculturalism, Indigenous Australians, Migration, Social Issues, Opinion Survey

Authors

Ellerman, A.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Attitudes Towards Social Issues scale (ATSI) is to quantitatively measure the degree of ethnocentrism and general social conservatism held by individuals within the Australian community. Developed during a period of intense public debate regarding immigration, Indigenous land rights, and national identity, the scale provides a systematic assessment of attitudes toward specific minority groups and government policies designed to support them.

The instrument probes deeply into sensitive areas, aiming to distinguish between general tolerance and specific biases. It covers topics ranging from support for Aboriginal self-determination and the acceptance of non-white migrants to views on specific policies like the White Australia policy legacy and the implications of the Mabo decision.

Construct

The ATSI scale is designed to measure a broad construct of Ethnocentric Social Attitudes, which encapsulates an individual’s tendency to view their own group (e.g., white Australians) as superior and to judge other groups based on their own cultural standards. The construct appears to be multifaceted, covering several key dimensions relevant to Australian social psychology:

• Attitudes Towards Indigenous Australians: Items relating to land rights, community segregation, cultural preservation, and perceived government preferential treatment.
• Attitudes Towards Migrants and Asians: Items focusing on immigration levels, economic impacts (e.g., the Japanese economy), cultural assimilation, and inter-racial marriage.
• Social Acceptance of Minorities: Items assessing prejudice against homosexuals and the mentally ill, indicating a broader measure of social exclusion and intolerance beyond purely racial lines.

Validity

As the ATSI was originally published as an unpublished measure, detailed validity reports are typically found within the subsequent academic works that employed the scale (e.g., Price, 2000). Generally, the scale demonstrates strong face validity, as the items directly reflect specific, well-publicized social issues and policy debates prevalent in Australia during the 1990s.

In research contexts where the ATSI has been employed, evidence of construct validity has been explored by correlating ATSI scores with other established measures of prejudice, social dominance orientation (SDO), or right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). Higher scores on the ATSI (indicating stronger ethnocentric attitudes) are expected to correlate positively with measures of social conservatism and prejudice, confirming that the scale accurately captures the intended underlying psychological construct.

Reliability

Although specific reliability coefficients (such as Cronbach’s Alpha) are not provided in the source snippet, typical use of such comprehensive scales in doctoral research suggests acceptable levels of internal consistency. Researchers utilizing the ATSI would have conducted standard reliability checks. A high internal consistency would indicate that the 40 items coherently measure the single latent construct of ethnocentric social attitudes.

Factor Analysis

Given the diverse range of topics covered—from Indigenous issues and migration to attitudes towards homosexuality—a detailed factor analysis would likely reveal several distinct, though correlated, sub-factors within the overall measure of ethnocentrism. While the primary purpose is to assess a general attitude, statistical analysis would likely decompose the scale into specific dimensions, such as “Racial Exclusion,” “Support for Indigenous Autonomy,” “Anti-Immigration Sentiment,” and “Social Conservatism.” Such factor structures allow researchers to score participants not just on overall prejudice but also on their specific areas of bias.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Attitude Scale

Format: Self-report questionnaire using a 7-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (Australian context)

Population Group: General Australian population

Age Group: Adults (typically used with university students or general community samples)

Population Details: The scale is specifically contextualized for measuring attitudes within the unique socio-political environment of Australia, focusing on issues related to Aboriginal people and migrant communities.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement using the following 7-point response range: 1=Strongly agree, 2=Agree, 3=Slightly agree, 4=Neither agree nor disagree, 5=Slightly disagree, 6=Disagree, 7=Strongly disagree. Scoring requires careful attention to reverse-coded items.

Keywords

Prejudice Measurement, Social Psychology, Aboriginal Rights, Immigration Policy, Social Exclusion, Racial Attitudes, Australian Identity, Mabo Decision

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not available in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not available in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not available in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Attitudes Towards Social Issues scale (ATSI) was developed by Ellerman in 1996. As an unpublished measure, its availability and usage are typically governed by permissions granted by the author or the academic institution where the research was conducted. Researchers often use this instrument freely for non-commercial academic purposes, provided they appropriately cite the original source (Ellerman, 1996) and the subsequent research utilizing the scale (e.g., Price, 2000). The full instrument, as used in the doctoral dissertation by Price, can be found in PDF format. The original PDF can be downloaded here: https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/42255/PRICE_F.pdf?sequence=1

Reference’s

• Ellerman‚ A. (1996). Attitudes Towards Social Issues. Unpublished measure of Australian ethnocentrism.
• Price‚ Fiona Swee-Lin. (2000). Intercultural contact‚ ethnocentrism and the mediating role of epistemology. University of Melbourne‚ Doctoral Dissertation.

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Items of the Attitudes Towards Social Issues scale (ATSI)

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

1. Australians from every ethnic background need to be encouraged to preserve their culture and beliefs.
2. It is easy to understand the anger of the Australian Aboriginal people.
3. It is far better for all concerned to keep Aborigines on reserves and in separate communities.
4. Aborigines are getting too demanding in their push for land rights.
5. Migrants should not push themselves where they are not wanted.
6. Mixed race marriages encourage tolerance and understanding.
7. Over the past few years‚ government and media have shown more respect to blacks and migrants than they deserve.
8. Allowing educated Asians to immigrate benefits Australian society.
9. We should be solving our social problems at home instead of giving overseas aid.
10. When given a fair go‚ Aborigines can live as decently as any white person.
11. Aborigines have it better than they ever had it before.
12. I get very upset when I hear a white make prejudiced statements about non-whites.
13. The White Australia was a good policy because it helped keep Australia white.
14. If we let Aborigines live in our communities‚ the standard of hygiene might be lowered.
15. The mentally ill need to be kept away from the rest of society.
16. The government should not make any special effort to help racial minorities because they should help themselves.
17. Multiculturalism is the best policy for Australia.
18. The Japanese are taking over the Australian economy.
19. Migrants should always be given an equal chance with other Australians.
20. All Australian schools should teach Aboriginal culture‚ history and language.
21. Migrants are as friendly as Australians.
22. If I had a chance to introduce black visitors to my friends and neighbors‚ I would be pleased to do so.
23. We must be careful not to let too many Asians into the country‚ or they’ll take over the place.
24. I worry that in the next few years I may be denied my application for a job or promotion because of preferential treatment given to a minority group member.
25. Genuine refugees from any country should be accepted with open arms into Australia.
26. Lesbians and homosexuals should be prevented from holding public offices.
27. Coloured people and whites just don’t mix.
28. The establishment of Native Title through the Mabo decision is a great advance for Australia.
29. Inter-racial marriage should be discouraged to avoid the “who-am- I? confusion which the children feel.
30. In mixed populations‚ it is better for one race to dominate.
31. Given equal pay‚ Aborigines will work as hard as white people.
32. I would not mind my daughter marrying a migrant from another country.
33. If a homosexual were put in ch‎arge of me‚ I would not mind taking advice from him or her.
34. Asians should be allowed to migrate to Australia.
35. I wouldn’t like any member of my family to marry an Aborigine.
36. There is not much point in trying to make friends with people whose tastes and beliefs are not your own.
37. Aborigines should be helped to settle in the cities and given the same advantages as white people.
38. Those born in Australia have a stronger loyalty to the country than those born overseas.
39. Laws are needed to make racial abuse punishable.
40. The Japanese are very productive people and should be allowed to settle in Australia.