Attitude toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale – ATLG
Measures heterosexual individuals' attitudes and prejudices toward lesbians and gay men.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Attitude toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale – ATLG was developed by Gregory M. Herek (1984). It is designed to measure Sexual prejudice / Homophobia. The scale is intended for use with Heterosexual adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Attitude toward Lesbians (ATL), Attitude toward Gay Men (ATG).
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Attitude toward Lesbians (ATL) | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 | 10 |
| Attitude toward Gay Men (ATG) | 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20 | 10 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Agree, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = 8, 9 = Strongly Disagree.
The scale includes 7 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 20 to 180. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low levels of sexual prejudice (more positive attitudes): 20 – 73
- Moderate levels of sexual prejudice: 74 – 126
- High levels of sexual prejudice (more negative attitudes): 127 – 180
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Typically ranges from .85 to .95.
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.