Gamson’s Helplessness Scale
Measures feelings of political helplessness, alienation, and lack of efficacy.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Gamson’s Helplessness Scale was developed by William A. Gamson (1961). It is designed to measure Political Helplessness. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 5 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point agreement scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 5 to 25. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Helplessness: 5 – 11
- Moderate Helplessness: 12 – 18
- High Helplessness: 19 – 25
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not reported.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.