Social Responsibility Scale (SRS)

Abstract

The Social Responsibility Scale (SRS), developed by Leonard Berkowitz and Kenneth Lutterman in 1968, is a widely utilized instrument in social psychology designed to measure an individual’s sense of social responsibility. This scale focuses on the extent to which a person accepts the generalized obligation to help others, contribute to the public good, and adhere to societal norms, often conceptualized as the “traditionally socially responsible personality.” The SRS is often employed in studies examining altruism, cooperation, and civic engagement, building upon earlier work by Harris (1957).

Keywords

Social responsibility, civic duty, altruism, personality, social psychology, Berkowitz and Lutterman, measurement, prosocial behavior.

Authors

Leonard Berkowitz, Kenneth Lutterman.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SRS is to quantify the degree to which an individual internalizes and acts upon the belief that they have a duty to contribute positively to their community and society at large. It was specifically developed by Berkowitz and Lutterman to investigate the characteristics of the traditionally socially responsible personality, seeking to understand the motivational factors behind adherence to social obligations.

This scale serves as a critical measure for researchers studying phenomena such as bystander intervention, voting behavior, volunteerism, and general civic duty. By assessing the respondent’s inclination toward fulfilling moral and societal obligations, the SRS helps predict prosocial behaviors and attitudes toward public affairs.

Construct

The central psychological construct measured by the SRS is Social Responsibility. This construct is defined as a stable personality characteristic reflecting an individual’s generalized belief that one should voluntarily perform actions that benefit society, even when such actions require personal cost or effort. It encapsulates a feeling of obligation toward the welfare of others, independent of immediate personal gain.

The items of the SRS probe two related dimensions: (1) acceptance of broad societal duties (e.g., voting, public service) and (2) adherence to personal commitments and duties (e.g., finishing promised jobs). High scores on the SRS indicate a strong internalized sense of civic duty and a willingness to accept personal inconvenience for the collective good, contrasting sharply with attitudes of apathy or self-centered isolation.

Validity

While the original source content does not provide detailed statistical validity coefficients, subsequent research utilizing the SRS has generally supported its construct validity. The scale typically shows expected correlations with other measures of prosocial orientation, such as empathy scales and measures of moral reasoning.

Specifically, studies have demonstrated criterion validity, showing that high scores on the SRS predict actual behavioral outcomes, including participation in community service, political activism, and willingness to help strangers in experimental settings. The scale’s face validity is strong, as the items directly address adherence to generalized duties and rejection of cynical apathy.

Reliability

The SRS is generally reported to possess acceptable internal consistency, particularly in studies conducted shortly after its publication. Although specific alpha coefficients vary across populations and administrations, the scale typically achieves a Cronbach’s alpha in the range of .65 to .75. This indicates moderate to good internal reliability for an eight-item measure.

Furthermore, test-retest reliability, while not frequently reported in detail in summary documents, is presumed to be adequate, given that social responsibility is theorized as a stable personality trait rather than a transient state.

Factor Analysis

Early factor analysis of the SRS has often supported a unidimensional structure, suggesting that the scale primarily measures a single overarching factor of generalized social responsibility. However, some researchers have proposed that the items may subtly load onto two sub-factors: one relating to public or civic obligations (e.g., voting, current events) and another relating to personal integrity and adherence to immediate duties (e.g., finishing promised tasks).

Despite these minor variations, the scale is typically employed and scored as a single, summative index, reflecting the authors’ original intent to capture the holistic concept of the “traditionally socially responsible personality.”

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report attitude scale.

Format: Paper-and-pencil or online questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale response format.

Language Available: Primarily English; translated versions exist across various international studies.

Population Group: General adult and college student populations.

Age Group: Adolescents (based on Harris’s precursor work) through adulthood (typically 18+).

Population Details: Originally validated on US college students and general community samples to measure attitudes towards civic duty and social engagement.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement. Scoring involves reversing negatively worded items (1, 3, 4, 6) and summing the responses, with higher scores indicating greater social responsibility.

Keywords

Prosocial behavior, obligation, civic engagement, altruism measurement, Lutterman, Berkowitz, social norms, attitude scale.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source; information not readily available for classic 1968 publication.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source; contact information generally unavailable for historical authors.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source; original affiliation was likely the University of Wisconsin (for Berkowitz) at the time of publication.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The SRS was first published in 1968 by Berkowitz and Lutterman. As a classic scale widely published in academic literature, it is frequently used by researchers without cost. However, users should always cite the original authors and the specific source from which the items were obtained.

The original instrument, along with other measures of social psychological attitudes, can be found in the historical compilation by Robinson and Shaver. The original PDF can be downloaded here: https://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/infoserv/isrpub/pdf/Measuresofsocialpsychologicalattitudes_2928_.PDF

Reference’s

The following references are key to the development and context of the Social Responsibility Scale:

• Harris‚ D. A. (1957). Scale for measuring attitudes of social responsibility in children. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology‚ 55‚ 322-326.
• Berkowitz‚ L. and Lutterman‚ K. (1968). The traditionally socially responsible personality. Public Opinion Quarterly‚ XXXII‚ 169- 185.
• Robinson‚ John P.‚ Shaver‚ Phillip R. (1969). Measures of Political Attitudes. Institute for Social Research‚ University of Michigan/. Ann Arbor‚ Michigan.

Items of the Social Responsibility Scale (SRS)

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

The scale utilizes a 5-point response format: Strongly agree‚ Agree‚ Undecided‚ Disagree‚ Strongly disagree. Items 1, 3, 4, and 6 are typically reverse-scored.

1. It is no use worrying about current events or public affairs; I can’t do anything about them anyway.
2. Every person should give some of his time for the good of his town or country.
3. Our country would be a lot better off if we didn’t have so many elections and people didn’t have to vote so often.
4. Letting your friends down is not so bad because you can’t do good all the time for everybody.
5. It is the duty of each person to do his job the very best he can.
6. People would be a lot better off if they could live far away from other people and never have to do anything for them.
7. At school I usually volunteered for special projects.
8. I feel very bad when I have failed to finish a job I promised I would do.