Nettler’s Alienation Scale
Measures social alienation, defined as a feeling of estrangement from society, its culture, and its values.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Nettler’s Alienation Scale was developed by Gwynn Nettler (1957). It is designed to measure Alienation. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 17 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Mass Culture, Familism, Religiosity, Politicism.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Mass Culture | 2,3,4,9 | 4 |
| Familism | 6,7,10,15 | 4 |
| Religiosity | 8,13,16 | 3 |
| Politicism | 1,5,11,12,14,17 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Non-alienated response, 1 = Alienated response.
The scale includes 8 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 17. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Alienation: 0 – 5
- Moderate Alienation: 6 – 11
- High Alienation: 12 – 17
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.