Homophobia Scale

Abstract

The Homophobia Scale (HS) is a comprehensive, 25-item instrument developed by Wright, Adams, and Bernat (1999) to measure the multifaceted nature of homophobia. The scale is distinct from earlier measures, which often focused narrowly on generalized negative attitudes (homonegativity), by including items that assess cognitive components, affective responses, and overt behavioral tendencies, such as social avoidance and aggressive acting.

The instrument utilizes a 5-point Likert scale response format and demonstrated strong internal consistency (alpha = .94) and high test-retest reliability (r = .96). Factor analysis confirmed a three-factor structure: Behavioral/Negative Affect, Affect/Behavioral Aggression, and Cognitive Negativism, collectively accounting for 68.69% of the scale’s variance. The HS provides a total score ranging from 0 (least homophobic) to 100 (most homophobic), alongside three subscale scores.

Keywords

Homophobia, Homonegativity, Attitude Measurement, Psychological Scale, Affective Components, Behavioral Aggression, Cognitive Negativism, Psychometrics.

Authors

Lester W. Wright, Jr., Henry E. Adams, Jeffrey Bernat.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Homophobia Scale (HS) is to provide a detailed and multidimensional assessment of an individual’s level of prejudice against gay and lesbian individuals. The developers sought to create a psychometric tool that moves beyond simple attitudinal assessment to encompass measurable behaviors and internal emotional states associated with homophobia.

By including items related to social avoidance and aggressive acting, the HS differentiates itself from measures focused solely on generalized attitudes. It is designed to capture the full spectrum of negative responses, providing a more robust measure for research in social and clinical psychology.

Construct

The HS measures the complex psychological construct of homophobia, which is conceptualized as a structure encompassing cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions. This framework allows researchers to distinguish between internalized beliefs (cognitions), emotional discomfort (affect), and observable discriminatory actions (behavior) related to homosexuality.

The scale’s structure, validated through factor analysis, confirms three core components: Behavioral/Negative Affect, which addresses avoidance and generalized negative feelings; Affect/Behavioral Aggression, which focuses on hostile emotions and aggressive actions; and Cognitive Negativism, which captures underlying negative attitudes and beliefs.

Validity

Concurrent validity for the Homophobia Scale was established through correlation with the Index of Homophobia (IHP; Hudson & Ricketts, 1980), an established measure of the construct. A Pearson correlation coefficient was computed using the overall scores from both instruments.

The results yielded a significant correlation of r = .66 (p < .01). This moderately strong relationship indicates that the HS and the IHP are measuring similar constructs. However, the correlation is not high enough to suggest redundancy, confirming that the HS captures unique behavioral and affective dimensions that distinguish it as a more comprehensive measure than the IHP.

Reliability

The Homophobia Scale demonstrates excellent internal consistency and temporal stability, supporting its use as a reliable research tool. The overall internal consistency, measured using the alpha reliability coefficient, was exceptionally high at r = .94 (p < .01).

Furthermore, the scale exhibited strong stability over time. A 1-week test-retest reliability coefficient was calculated at r = .96 (p < .01). These coefficients confirm that the HS consistently measures the underlying construct both internally and across multiple administrations.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the 25 items of the Homophobia Scale load onto three primary factors, which collectively accounted for 68.69% of the scale’s total variance. These factors provide distinct subscale scores for detailed assessment.

• Factor 1: Behavioral/Negative Affect. This factor consists of 10 items and accounted for 40.88% of the scale’s variance. It measures primarily negative emotional responses and active avoidance behaviors. The mean score for this factor in the development sample was 10.79 (SD = 8.22).
• Factor 2: Affect/Behavioral Aggression. This factor also includes 10 items, accounting for 23.05% of the variance. It assesses hostile affective responses and overt aggressive behaviors toward gay individuals. The mean score was 14.28 (SD = 12.51).
• Factor 3: Cognitive Negativism. Comprising five items, this factor accounted for 4.77% of the variance. It measures underlying negative attitudes and cognitive beliefs about homosexuality. The mean score was 7.10 (SD = 4.84).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire designed to measure a psychological attitude and behavioral construct.

Format: 25 statements rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Strongly Agree) to 5 (Strongly Disagree).

Language Available: English (Original development).

Population Group: General population; validated initially on university students.

Age Group: Adults (Average age in the validation sample was 22.38).

Population Details: The initial development and validation studies utilized students from a large midwestern university. The total sample size for the initial field trial was N = 321, with N = 122 participating in the test-retest reliability study. The mean total score for the representative sample (n=145) was 32.04 (SD = 19.76).

Test Methodology: The questionnaire is administered in a self-report format and typically requires approximately 5 to 7 minutes for completion. Scoring requires reverse-scoring 16 specific items before calculating the total score (ranging from 0 to 100) and the three factor subscale scores.

Keywords

Psychology, Social Attitudes, Prejudice, Sexual Orientation, Behavioral Assessment, Psychopathology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Lester W. Wright, Jr.)

Correspondence Address: Lester W. Wright, Jr., Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Homophobia Scale was developed and validated in 1999 (Wright, Adams, & Bernat). A copy of the instrument can be obtained at no cost directly from the corresponding author, Lester W. Wright, Jr. Appropriate academic citation of the original article (Wright, Adams, & Bernat, 1999) is requested for use.

Reference’s

• Hudson, W. W., & Ricketts, W. A. (1980). A strategy for the measurement of homophobia. Journal of Homosexuality, 5, 357–372.
• Wright, L. W., Jr., Adams, H. E., & Bernat, J. (1999). Development and validation of the Homophobia Scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 21, 337–347.

Items of the Homophobia Scale

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

This questionnaire is designed to measure your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with regard to homosexuality. It is not a test, so there are no right or wrong answers. Answer each item by circling the number after each question as follows:

• Strongly Agree

• Agree

• Neither Agree nor Disagree

• Disagree

• Strongly Disagree

1. Gay people make me nervous.‌

2. Gay people deserve what they get. 1 2

3. Homosexuality is acceptable to me. 1 2

4. If I discovered a friend was gay I would end the friendship. 1 2

5. I think homosexual people should not work with children. 1 2

6. I make derogatory remarks about gay people. 1 2

7. I enjoy the company of gay people. 1 2

8. Marriage between homosexual individuals is acceptable. 1 2

9. I make derogatory remarks like “faggot” or “queer” to people I suspect are gay.

10. It does not matter to me whether my friends are gay or straight.

11. It would not upset me if I learned that a close friend was homosexual.

12. Homosexuality is immoral.

13. I tease and make jokes about gay people.

14. I feel that you cannot trust a person who is homosexual.

15. I fear homosexual persons will make sexual advances towards me.

16. Organizations which promote gay rights are necessary.

17. I have damaged property of gay persons, such as “keying” their 1 2

18. I would feel comfortable having a gay roommate. 1 2

19. I would hit a homosexual for coming on to me. 1 2

20. Homosexual behavior should not be against the law.

21. I avoid gay individuals.

22. It does not bother me to see two homosexual people together in public.

23. When I see a gay person I think, What a waste.”

24. When I meet someone I try to find out if he/she is gay.

25. I have rocky relationships with people that I suspect are gay.