Values in Action Character Strengths Youth Survey (VIA-YS)

Abstract

The Values in Action Character Strengths Youth Survey (VIA-YS) is a psychometric instrument designed to measure the 24 universally recognized Character Strengths as defined by the VIA Classification of Strengths and Virtues. Developed by the VIA Institute, an organization co-founded by Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Christopher Peters, the VIA-YS was created specifically for youth aged 10 to 17 years old. The primary goal of the survey is to help participants recognize their inherent positive strengths, known as Signature Strengths, and learn how to leverage these traits for positive development. While the original version contained 198 items, the current, improved short form comprises 96 items, enhancing usability and efficiency while maintaining strong psychometric properties.

Keywords

Values in Action, VIA-YS, Character Strengths, Martin Seligman, Positive Psychology, Youth Assessment, Signature Strengths, Virtues, Psychological Measurement

Authors

Dr. Martin Seligman, Dr. Christopher Peters, VIA Institute on Character

Purpose

The fundamental purpose of the VIA-YS is to shift the focus of psychological assessment from deficits and disorders toward positive human attributes. Specifically, the survey aims to:

• Facilitate self-recognition, allowing young participants to identify their unique profile of 24 character strengths.

• Provide a framework for participants to understand and capitalize on their highest-ranked strengths, often referred to as Signature Strengths.

• Serve as a robust research tool to investigate the manifestation and developmental trajectory of positive traits across diverse youth populations globally, supporting the aims of the field of Positive Psychology.

The availability of the survey in multiple languages and its free access via www.viacharacter.org ensures its broad utility for both academic research and practical intervention.

Construct

The VIA-YS measures the 24 Character Strengths organized under the VIA Classification of Strengths and Virtues. This classification system, developed through extensive cross-cultural research, organizes these 24 strengths into six core virtues:

• Wisdom and Knowledge: Cognitive strengths that involve the acquisition and use of knowledge.
• Courage: Emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of internal or external opposition.
• Humanity: Interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others.
• Justice: Civic strengths that underlie healthy community life.
• Temperance: Strengths that protect against excess.
• Transcendence: Strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning.

The scale determines the participant’s ranking of these 24 traits, identifying the top 4 to 7 as their most salient or Signature Strengths.

Validity

The validity of the revised 96-item short form of the VIA-YS was rigorously assessed against the original 198-item version. The reduction in items was specifically undertaken to improve survey usability without sacrificing psychometric integrity.

Findings from comparative studies demonstrated that the 96-item VIA Youth Survey is highly efficient and equally valid when compared to the longer 198-item iteration. This validation involved selecting the 4 items for each of the 24 character strength scales that exhibited the highest corrected item-total correlations from a large sample of 12,549 youth surveys. Furthermore, the short form was compared directly to the original form in two separate samples (n = 157 and n = 172, with a mean age of 15 years), yielding results that were nearly identical, confirming concurrent validity.

Reliability

The internal consistency and stability of the 96-item VIA-YS demonstrate strong reliability across the measured constructs. Reliability alpha coefficients were calculated across two comparison samples for each of the 24 Character Strengths.

• Internal Consistency: Alpha coefficients ranged from 0.69 (specifically for Social Intelligence) to 0.95 (specifically for Spirituality). This range indicates acceptable to excellent internal consistency for the majority of the subscales.
• Test-Retest Reliability: The stability of the scores over time was assessed using a 4-month retest interval. The resulting test-retest reliability coefficient was found to be greater than 0.70, indicating that the scores obtained are stable and consistent over a significant period for the youth population.

Factor Analysis

While the source content focuses on item-total correlations and comparative efficiency, the development of the 96-item short form inherently relies on maintaining the factor structure established by the VIA Classification. The selection process involved identifying the four strongest items correlated to their respective character strength (factor) from the original pool of items across a large sample (N = 12,549). This methodological approach ensures that the revised measure accurately reflects the intended 24-factor structure of the Character Strengths model. The equivalence in results between the 96-item and 198-item versions strongly suggests that the underlying factor structure remains preserved and robust in the short form.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychometric inventory

Format: The instrument utilizes a 5-point Likert Scale for response, ranging from “Very much like me” to “Not like me at all”. All items must be completed for scoring.

Language Available: Available in 18 different languages

Population Group: Youth

Age Group: 10 – 17 years old

Population Details: The short form was validated using data from a large sample of 12,549 youth surveys, with comparative samples having a mean age of 15 years.

Test Methodology: The current version comprises 96 items (4 items per character strength). Respondents are instructed to answer honestly, as there are no right or wrong answers. Scoring results in a ranked list of the 24 Character Strengths, with the top 4 to 7 identified as Signature Strengths. Specialized guidelines have been developed to improve accessibility for youth with developmental disabilities, including simplifying item wording (e.g., changing negative phrasing like “I am not a show off” to positive phrasing like “I am a show off”) and dividing the measure into smaller, more manageable sections.

Keywords

VIA-YS, Positive Psychology, Likert Scale, Psychological Assessment, Youth Development, Reliability, Validity, 96-item survey, Strengths and Virtues

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: VIA Institute on Character (Specific address not provided in source content.)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The VIA-YS is provided by the VIA Institute, a not-for-profit organization established in 2001. The survey is currently available free of charge to the public via the official website: www.viacharacter.org. The initial research leading to the development of the VIA framework began around the time of the Institute’s founding in 2001, with the youth version being developed subsequent to the original 240-item adult survey.

Reference’s

• Seligman, M. E. P., & Peterson, C. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Oxford University Press. (Theoretical foundation for the scale).
• VIA Institute on Character. (n.d.). Official website and resources: www.viacharacter.org.
• The development and validation of the 96-item short form are documented in academic papers by researchers associated with the VIA Institute (e.g., Park, Peterson, & Seligman). Specific references for the 96-item version are not provided in the source content.

Items of the Values in Action Character Strengths Youth Survey (VIA-YS)

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

Sample items referenced in the source content include:

• “I am not a show off” (Original item)
• “I am a show off” (Recommended accessible modification)
• “I have a lot of enthusiasm” (Original item)
• “I am excited about many things” (Recommended accessible modification)