Objective of the Scale

The Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG-20) measures heterosexual individuals’ attitudes toward lesbians and gay men.

Scale Analysis

The ATLG-20 was developed by Herek (1988) and initially contained 20 items, divided into: 10-item subscale for attitudes toward gay men (ATG-10), 10-item subscale for attitudes toward lesbians (ATL-10). Shorter versions have been developed, consisting of 3, 4, or 5-item parallel subscales, which maintain strong correlations with the original scale and are recommended for use in research.

Scoring Method

Responses are rated on a Likert scale (e.g., 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree). Some items are reverse-scored before summing. A total score is calculated by summing responses and can be averaged by dividing the total by the number of items.

Statistical Analysis

The total score range depends on the response scale used. In a 5-point Likert scale, total scores range from: 20 (most positive attitudes), 100 (most negative attitudes), Subscale scores range from 10 to 50. Higher scores are associated with: High religiosity, Lack of personal contact with LGBTQ+ individuals, Traditional gender role beliefs, Support for discriminatory policies against sexual minoritie.

Validity and Reliability

Cronbach’s alpha: Student samples: α > 0.85, Non-student adult samples: α > 0.80. The ATLG-20 has been adapted into Greek by Kalaitzaki et al. (2007).

Bibliography

Cárdenas, M., & Barrientos, J. E. (2008). The attitudes toward lesbians and gay men scale (ATLG): Adaptation and testing the reliability and validity in Chile. Journal of Sex Research, 45(2), 140-149.
Herek, G. M. (1994). Assessing heterosexuals’ attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: A review of empirical research with the ATLG scale.
Kalaitzaki, A. E., Birtchnell, J., & Kritsotakis, E. I. (2010). The associations between negative relating and aggression in the dating relationships of students from Greece. Partner Abuse, 1(4), 420-442.
Manalastas, E. J., et al. (2017). Homonegativity in Southeast Asia: Attitudes toward lesbians and gay men in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 17(1), 25-33.
Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The revised conflict tactics scales (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 283-316.