Activism Orientation Scale

1. Display a poster or bumper sticker with a political message?
2. Invite a friend to attend a meeting of a political organization or event?
3. Purchase a poster, t-shirt, etc. that endorses a political point of view?
4. Serve as an officer in a political organization?
5. Engage in a political activity in which you knew you would be arrested?
6. Attend an informational meeting of a political group?
7. Organize a political event (e.g., talk, support group, march)?
8. Give a lecture or talk about a social or political issue?
9. Go out of your way to collect information on a social or political issue?
10. Campaign door-to-door for a political candidate?
11. Present facts to contest another person’s social or political statement?
12. Donate money to a political candidate?
13. Vote in a non-presidential federal, state, or local election?
14. Engage in a physical confrontation at a political rally?
15. Send a letter or e-mail expressing a political opinion to the editor of a periodical or television show?
16. Engage in a political activity in which you feared that some of your possessions would be damaged?
17. Engage in an illegal act as part of a political protest?
18. Confront jokes, statements, or innuendoes that opposed a particular group’s cause?
19. Boycott a product for political reasons?
20. Distribute information representing a particular social or political group’s cause?
21. Engage in a political activity in which you suspect there would be a confrontation with the police or possible arrest?
22. Send a letter or e-mail about a political issue to a public official?
23. Attend a talk on a particular group’s social or political concerns?
24. Attend a political organization’s regular planning meeting?
25. Sign a petition for a political cause?
26. Encourage a friend to join a political organization?
27. Try to change a friend’s or acquaintance’s mind about a social or political issue?
28. Block access to a building or public area with your body?
29. Donate money to a political organization?
30. Try to change a relative’s mind about a social or political issue?
31. Wear a t-shirt or button with a political message?
32. Keep track of the views of members of Congress regarding an issue important to you?
33. Participate in discussion groups designed to discuss issues or solutions of a particular social or political group?
34. Campaign by phone for a political candidate?
35. Engage in a political activity in which you feared for your personal safety?

Response Options:
Extremely unlikely - 0
Unlikely - 1
Likely - 2
Extremely likely - 3

Total scores summed across items can range from 0 to 105; higher scores indicate a greater willingness to engage in activist behaviors.

PRIMARY CITATION:

Corning, A. F., & Myers, D. J. (2002). Individual Orientation Toward Engagement in Social Action. Political Psychology, 23(4), 703-729. https://doi.org/10.1111/0162-895X.00304