The Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Scale

ATLG
The Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale

The Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Scale is a brief measure of heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men and women. The ATLG treats these attitudes as one instance of intergroup attitudes, similar in psychological structure and function to interracial and interethnic attitudes. Borrowing from public discourse surrounding sexual orientation, the scale presents statements that tap heterosexuals' affective responses to homosexuality and to gay men and lesbians.

Description
The ATLG is appropriate for administration to adult heterosexuals in the United States. Scale development included extensive factor analysis, item analysis, and construct validity studies (Herek, 1984, 1987a, 1987b, 1988, 1994). The full ATLG consists of 20 statements, 10 about gay men (ATG subscale) and 10 about lesbians (ATL subscale), to which respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement. Because they consist of different items, ATL and ATG subscale scores are not directly comparable. Researchers wishing to compare a subject population's attitudes toward gay men with their attitudes toward lesbians are advised to use parallel forms of one of the subscales (the ATG items have usually been used for this purpose), with each item presented twice, once in reference to gay men and once in reference to lesbians.

When the 20-item ATLG was initially developed, a 10-item short version (ATLG-S) also was formulated. The short version correlated highly with its longer counterpart (ATLG-S with ATLG, r = .97), as did the two 5-item subscales (ATG-S5 with ATG, r = .96; ATL-S5 with ATL, r = .95; Herek, 1988). In the course of several national telephone surveys, even shorter, 3-item subscales were used (the ATG-S3 and ATL-S3), based on three ATG items (Herek & Capitanio, 1995a). The short versions have proved sufficiently reliable, valid, and convenient that their use is recommended for most research settings.

Response Mode
The ATLG can be used as a paper-and-pencil self-administered questionnaire or can be administered orally (as in a telephone survey). Written versions of the scale typically provide respondents with a 5- or 7-point Likert-type scale with anchor points of strongly disagree and strongly agree. For oral administration, a 4-point response scale is recommended.
If labeling of each response point is desired, it is recommended that a 4- or 5-point scale be used with the following labels:

strongly disagree
disagree somewhat
neither agree nor disagree (for 5-point scales only)
agree somewhat
strongly agree.

Completion time varies depending on whether the long or short form of the instrument is used, and whether the administration is written or oral. For college-educated respondents, each item requires roughly 30-60 seconds.

Scoring
Scoring is accomplished by summing numerical values (e.g., 1 = strongly disagree, 9 = strongly agree) across items for each subscale. Reverse scoring is used for some items as indicated on a subsequent page. The possible range of scores varies depending on the response scale used. With a 9-point response scale, for example, total scale scores can range from 20 (extremely positive attitudes) to 180 (extremely negative attitudes), with ATL and ATG subscale scores each ranging from 10 to 90.

Reliability
The ATLG and its subscales have consistently shown high levels of internal consistency. As would be expected, alpha levels are usually higher when longer versions of the scale are used and when the scale is administered in paper-and-pencil format. With college student samples completing a written version of the ATLG or its short forms, alpha levels are typically greater than .85 for the subscales and .90 for the full scale (Herek, 1987a, 1987b, 1988). With nonstudent adults completing a self-administered questionnaire, alpha values typically exceed .80 (Herek, 1994; Herek & Glunt, 1991). In national telephone surveys with oral administration to adult probability samples, reliability typically has exceeded .80 for the ATG-S5 (Herek, 1994; Herek & Glunt, 1991, 1993a), and .70 for the ATG-S3 and ATL-S3 (Herek, 1994; Herek & Capitanio, 1996).

Test-retest reliability was originally demonstrated with alternate forms (Herek, 1988, 1994). Respondents completed the original ATLG items and then, 3 weeks later, completed the alternate form (i.e., ATG items reworded to refer to lesbians, ATL items reworded to refer to gay men). Correlations were r = .83 for the ATG and its alternate, .84 for the ATL and its alternate, and .90 for the entire ATLG and its alternate.

Validity
The ATLG and its subscales are consistently correlated with other theoretically-relevant constructs. Higher scores (more negative attitudes) correlate significantly with high religiosity, lack of contact with gay men and lesbians, adherence to traditional sex-role attitudes, belief in a traditional family ideology, and high levels of dogmatism (Herek, 1987a, 1987b, 1988, 1994; Herek & Glunt, 1993; Herek & Capitanio, 1995, 1996). In addition, high ATG scores (more negative attitudes toward gay men) are positively correlated with AIDS-related stigma (Herek, 1995; Herek & Glunt, 1991).

The ATLG's discriminant validity also has been established. Members of lesbian and gay organizations scored at the extreme positive end of the range (Herek, 1988), and nonstudent adults who publicly supported a local gay rights initiative scored significantly lower on the ATLG than did community residents who publicly opposed the initiative (Herek, 1994).

Other Information
For a more thorough discussion of the ATLG's development and usage, and item and scale scores for various samples, see Herek (1994, 1998). For a comparison of Black and White adults' ATLG scores in a national telephone survey, see Herek and Capitanio (1995).

Permission
Doctoral-level social and behavioral scientists, as well as students and researchers working under their supervision, may use the ATLG in not-for-profit research that is consistent with the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists. It is not necessary to obtain formal permission from Dr. Herek to use the scale in research that meets these conditions. Permission to use the scale is explicitly denied to individuals who have been expelled or dropped from membership in a professional or scientific association because of their violation of the organization's ethical standards.

References
Herek, G.M. (1984). Attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: A factor analytic study. Journal of Homosexuality, 10 (1/2), 39-51.

Herek, G.M. (1987a). Can functions be measured? A new perspective on the functional approach to attitudes. Social Psychology Quarterly, 50, 285-303.

Herek, G.M. (1987b). Religion and prejudice: A comparison of racial and sexual attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 13, 56-65.

Herek, G.M. (1988). Heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: Correlates and gender differences. Journal of Sex Research, 25, 451-477.

Herek, G.M. (1994). Assessing heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: A review of empirical research with the ATLG scale. In B. Greene, & G.M. Herek (Eds.) Lesbian and gay psychology: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 206-228). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Herek, G.M. (1997). The HIV epidemic and public attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. In M.P. Levine, P. Nardi, & J. Gagnon (Eds.) In changing times: The impact of the HIV epidemic on the lesbian and gay community. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Herek, G. M. (1998). The Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) scale. In C.M. Davis, W.H. Yarber, R. Bauserman, G. Schreer, & S.L. Davis (Eds.), Sexuality-related measures: A compendium. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Herek, G.M. (2000). Sexual prejudice and gender: Do heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men differ? Journal of Social Issues 56(2), 251-266.
Herek, G.M. (2002). Gender gaps in public opinion about lesbians and gay men. Public Opinion Quarterly 66(1), 40-66.
Herek, G.M., & Capitanio, J.P. (1995). Black heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men in the United States. Journal of Sex Research, 32, 95-105.

Herek, G. M., & Capitanio, J. P. (1996). "Some of my best friends": Intergroup contact, concealable stigma, and heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 412-424.

Herek, G. M., & Capitanio, J. P. (1999). AIDS stigma and sexual prejudice. American Behavioral Scientist, 42, 1126-1143.

Herek, G. M., & Capitanio, J. P. (1999). Sex differences in how heterosexuals think about lesbians and gay men: Evidence from survey context effects. Journal of Sex Research, 36, 348-360.

Herek, G.M., & Glunt, E.K. (1991). AIDS-related attitudes in the United States: A preliminary conceptualization. Journal of Sex Research, 28, 99-123.

Herek, G.M., & Glunt, E.K. (1993). Interpersonal contact and heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men: Results from a national survey. Journal of Sex Research, 30, 239-244.

Herek, G. M., & Gonzalez-Rivera, M. (2006). Attitudes toward homosexuality among U.S. residents of Mexican descent. Journal of Sex Research, 43, 122-135.

Return to Dr. Herek's bibliography
Return to the Sexual Prejudice page


		ATLG The Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale

		The Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Scale is a brief measure of heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men and women. The ATLG treats these attitudes as one instance of intergroup attitudes, similar in psychological structure and function to interracial and interethnic attitudes. Borrowing from public discourse surrounding sexual orientation, the scale presents statements that tap heterosexuals' affective responses to homosexuality and to gay men and lesbians.
Description		The ATLG is appropriate for administration to adult heterosexuals in the United States. Scale development included extensive factor analysis, item analysis, and construct validity studies (Herek, 1984, 1987a, 1987b, 1988, 1994). The full ATLG consists of 20 statements, 10 about gay men (ATG subscale) and 10 about lesbians (ATL subscale), to which respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement. Because they consist of different items, ATL and ATG subscale scores are not directly comparable. Researchers wishing to compare a subject population's attitudes toward gay men with their attitudes toward lesbians are advised to use parallel forms of one of the subscales (the ATG items have usually been used for this purpose), with each item presented twice, once in reference to gay men and once in reference to lesbians. When the 20-item ATLG was initially developed, a 10-item short version (ATLG-S) also was formulated. The short version correlated highly with its longer counterpart (ATLG-S with ATLG, r = .97), as did the two 5-item subscales (ATG-S5 with ATG, r = .96; ATL-S5 with ATL, r = .95; Herek, 1988). In the course of several national telephone surveys, even shorter, 3-item subscales were used (the ATG-S3 and ATL-S3), based on three ATG items (Herek & Capitanio, 1995a). The short versions have proved sufficiently reliable, valid, and convenient that their use is recommended for most research settings.
Response Mode		The ATLG can be used as a paper-and-pencil self-administered questionnaire or can be administered orally (as in a telephone survey). Written versions of the scale typically provide respondents with a 5- or 7-point Likert-type scale with anchor points of strongly disagree and strongly agree. For oral administration, a 4-point response scale is recommended. If labeling of each response point is desired, it is recommended that a 4- or 5-point scale be used with the following labels: strongly disagree disagree somewhat neither agree nor disagree (for 5-point scales only) agree somewhat strongly agree. Completion time varies depending on whether the long or short form of the instrument is used, and whether the administration is written or oral. For college-educated respondents, each item requires roughly 30-60 seconds.
Scoring		Scoring is accomplished by summing numerical values (e.g., 1 = strongly disagree, 9 = strongly agree) across items for each subscale. Reverse scoring is used for some items as indicated on a subsequent page. The possible range of scores varies depending on the response scale used. With a 9-point response scale, for example, total scale scores can range from 20 (extremely positive attitudes) to 180 (extremely negative attitudes), with ATL and ATG subscale scores each ranging from 10 to 90.
Reliability		The ATLG and its subscales have consistently shown high levels of internal consistency. As would be expected, alpha levels are usually higher when longer versions of the scale are used and when the scale is administered in paper-and-pencil format. With college student samples completing a written version of the ATLG or its short forms, alpha levels are typically greater than .85 for the subscales and .90 for the full scale (Herek, 1987a, 1987b, 1988). With nonstudent adults completing a self-administered questionnaire, alpha values typically exceed .80 (Herek, 1994; Herek & Glunt, 1991). In national telephone surveys with oral administration to adult probability samples, reliability typically has exceeded .80 for the ATG-S5 (Herek, 1994; Herek & Glunt, 1991, 1993a), and .70 for the ATG-S3 and ATL-S3 (Herek, 1994; Herek & Capitanio, 1996). Test-retest reliability was originally demonstrated with alternate forms (Herek, 1988, 1994). Respondents completed the original ATLG items and then, 3 weeks later, completed the alternate form (i.e., ATG items reworded to refer to lesbians, ATL items reworded to refer to gay men). Correlations were r = .83 for the ATG and its alternate, .84 for the ATL and its alternate, and .90 for the entire ATLG and its alternate.
Validity		The ATLG and its subscales are consistently correlated with other theoretically-relevant constructs. Higher scores (more negative attitudes) correlate significantly with high religiosity, lack of contact with gay men and lesbians, adherence to traditional sex-role attitudes, belief in a traditional family ideology, and high levels of dogmatism (Herek, 1987a, 1987b, 1988, 1994; Herek & Glunt, 1993; Herek & Capitanio, 1995, 1996). In addition, high ATG scores (more negative attitudes toward gay men) are positively correlated with AIDS-related stigma (Herek, 1995; Herek & Glunt, 1991). The ATLG's discriminant validity also has been established. Members of lesbian and gay organizations scored at the extreme positive end of the range (Herek, 1988), and nonstudent adults who publicly supported a local gay rights initiative scored significantly lower on the ATLG than did community residents who publicly opposed the initiative (Herek, 1994).
Other Information		For a more thorough discussion of the ATLG's development and usage, and item and scale scores for various samples, see Herek (1994, 1998). For a comparison of Black and White adults' ATLG scores in a national telephone survey, see Herek and Capitanio (1995).
Permission		Doctoral-level social and behavioral scientists, as well as students and researchers working under their supervision, may use the ATLG in not-for-profit research that is consistent with the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists. It is not necessary to obtain formal permission from Dr. Herek to use the scale in research that meets these conditions. Permission to use the scale is explicitly denied to individuals who have been expelled or dropped from membership in a professional or scientific association because of their violation of the organization's ethical standards.
References		Herek, G.M. (1984). Attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: A factor analytic study. Journal of Homosexuality, 10 (1/2), 39-51. Herek, G.M. (1987a). Can functions be measured? A new perspective on the functional approach to attitudes. Social Psychology Quarterly, 50, 285-303. Herek, G.M. (1987b). Religion and prejudice: A comparison of racial and sexual attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 13, 56-65. Herek, G.M. (1988). Heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: Correlates and gender differences. Journal of Sex Research, 25, 451-477. Herek, G.M. (1994). Assessing heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: A review of empirical research with the ATLG scale. In B. Greene, & G.M. Herek (Eds.) Lesbian and gay psychology: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 206-228). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Herek, G.M. (1997). The HIV epidemic and public attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. In M.P. Levine, P. Nardi, & J. Gagnon (Eds.) In changing times: The impact of the HIV epidemic on the lesbian and gay community. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Herek, G. M. (1998). The Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) scale. In C.M. Davis, W.H. Yarber, R. Bauserman, G. Schreer, & S.L. Davis (Eds.), Sexuality-related measures: A compendium. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Herek, G.M. (2000). Sexual prejudice and gender: Do heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men differ? Journal of Social Issues 56(2), 251-266. Herek, G.M. (2002). Gender gaps in public opinion about lesbians and gay men. Public Opinion Quarterly 66(1), 40-66. Herek, G.M., & Capitanio, J.P. (1995). Black heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men in the United States. Journal of Sex Research, 32, 95-105. Herek, G. M., & Capitanio, J. P. (1996). "Some of my best friends": Intergroup contact, concealable stigma, and heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 412-424. Herek, G. M., & Capitanio, J. P. (1999). AIDS stigma and sexual prejudice. American Behavioral Scientist, 42, 1126-1143. Herek, G. M., & Capitanio, J. P. (1999). Sex differences in how heterosexuals think about lesbians and gay men: Evidence from survey context effects. Journal of Sex Research, 36, 348-360. Herek, G.M., & Glunt, E.K. (1991). AIDS-related attitudes in the United States: A preliminary conceptualization. Journal of Sex Research, 28, 99-123. Herek, G.M., & Glunt, E.K. (1993). Interpersonal contact and heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men: Results from a national survey. Journal of Sex Research, 30, 239-244. Herek, G. M., & Gonzalez-Rivera, M. (2006). Attitudes toward homosexuality among U.S. residents of Mexican descent. Journal of Sex Research, 43, 122-135.

		Return to Dr. Herek's bibliography Return to the Sexual Prejudice page