Shortened F-Scale for Political Surveys
Measures authoritarian personality traits and tendencies within political survey contexts.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Shortened F-Scale for Political Surveys was developed by Fillmore H. Sanford, Morris Janowitz, Dwaine Marvick (1953). It is designed to measure Authoritarianism. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 6 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 1 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 6 to 30. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Authoritarianism: 6 – 14
- Moderate Authoritarianism: 15 – 22
- High Authoritarianism: 23 – 30
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.