Allyship Scale

Abstract

The Allyship Scale (Chen, Joel, & Castro Lingl, 2023) is an 11-item questionnaire designed to measure LGBT individuals’ perceptions of straight allyship. Its content was developed based on themes extracted from open-ended descriptions of allyship provided by LGBT participants. The scale has undergone evaluation in community samples with nationally representative characteristics, and its factor analysis, reliability, and validity results have been reported. A noted limitation of the scale is the complexity of assessing the third component of allyship, humility.

Keywords

Ally, Being Nonprejudiced, Humility, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, LGBT Community, Taking Action

Authors

Chen, Jacqueline M.; Joel, Samantha; Castro Lingl, Daphne

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Allyship Scale is to assess LGBT individuals’ perceptions of the effectiveness of straight allyship.

Validity

Convergent Validity: The Allyship Scale demonstrates strong convergent validity. The overall allyship composite was found to be significantly and positively correlated with a face-valid item measuring perceived allyship among friends, family members, and work colleagues (Chen, Joel, & Castro Lingl, 2023).

Discriminant Validity: The scale exhibits good discriminant validity, as perceived allyship, as measured by this instrument, was empirically distinguishable from a variety of intra- and interpersonal constructs.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The Allyship Scale demonstrates high internal consistency. For ratings concerning a roommate, the reliability coefficient (ω) was .92, indicating excellent internal consistency.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): Initial eigenvalues from the EFA indicated that the first three factors cumulatively accounted for 79.43% of the total variance. Specifically, Factor 1 had an eigenvalue of 6.82, explaining 52.51% of the variance; Factor 2 had an eigenvalue of 2.22, explaining 17.08% of the variance; and Factor 3 had an eigenvalue of 1.28, explaining 9.84% of the variance. Subsequent factors (fourth, fifth, and sixth) each explained less than 4.5% of the variance and had initial eigenvalues below 0.60. Consequently, the three-factor solution was deemed the most appropriate, as it accounted for 79.43% of the variance.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): After the removal of two problematic items, the Allyship Scale demonstrated acceptable model fit across various target groups:

• Rating a Friend: RMSEA = .07, CI [.06, .09]; CFI = .97; SRMR = .05.

• Rating a Family Member: RMSEA = .09, CI [.08, .11]; CFI = .96; SRMR = .06.

• Rating a Coworker: RMSEA = .06, CI [.04, .08]; CFI = .98; SRMR = .04.

Measurement Invariance: The results of the analysis provided evidence for strong measurement invariance when comparing ratings across different targets, suggesting that the scale measures the same construct consistently across different individuals.

Instrument: Allyship Scale

Test Type: Original
Format: The Allyship Scale is an inventory/questionnaire. Participants are instructed to envision an individual with numerous LGBT+ colleagues and friends who aspires to be an effective ally to them. They are then asked to rate the importance of various behaviors for being an ally on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (not at all important) to 7 (extremely important). The administration method is electronic. The test items are available, and the measure consists of 11 items.
Language Available: English
Population Group: Human; Male; Female
Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older)
Population Details: The study participants were LGBT individuals located in the United States. No data is Available.
Test Methodology: The methodology employed in the development and validation of the Allyship Scale included Test Validity, Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis (both Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis), and Measurement Invariance.
Subscales: The Allyship Scale is comprised of three subscales: Being nonprejudiced, Taking action, and Having humility.

Authors Including

Author ORCID Identifier:

• Chen, Jacqueline M.: 0000-0001-9347-3816

Affiliation:

• Chen, Jacqueline M.: University of Utah, Department of Psychology

• Joel, Samantha: Western University, Department of Psychology

• Castro Lingl, Daphne: University of Connecticut, Department of Psychological Sciences

Email Addresses:

• Jacqueline M. Chen: [email protected]

Files:
No file is available

Correspondence Address:
Jacqueline M. Chen: University of Utah, Department of Psychology, 380 South 1530 East BEHS 502, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84112, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: The Allyship Scale may be used for research and teaching purposes.
Commercial Use: No
Fee: No
Test Year: 2023

References

Chen, J. M., Joel, S., & Castro Lingl, D. (2023). Antecedents and consequences of LGBT individuals’ perceptions of straight allyship. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(4), 827–851. doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000422

Items of the Allyship Scale

The Allyship Scale consists of 11 items. The specific items are located in Table 3, Page 9 of the source reference: Chen, J. M., Joel, S., & Castro Lingl, D. (2023). Antecedents and consequences of LGBT individuals’ perceptions of straight allyship. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(4), 827–851.

Allyship Scale

Items

Being Non-Prejudiced

1. Wants equal rights for everyone.

2. Cares that people are treated fairly.

3. Is non-judgmental of others.

4. Is accepting of others.

Taking Action

1. Speaks out against anti-LGBT discrimination.

2. Fights for equality of LGBT+ people.

3. Vocally supports the LGBT+ community.

4. Seeks out opportunities to learn about LGBT+ issues.

Having Humility

1. Listens more than speaking in discussions of LGBT issues.

2. Keeps the focus off of themselves in discussions of LGBT issues.

3. Avoids focusing group conversations about LGBT issues on their own opinions and experiences.

Note: LGBT = lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.

Note: Items are rated from 1 (not at all important) to 7 (extremely important).