Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale

What does sex really mean to you? Take this test to find.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | April 11, 2024

Sexual attitudes refer to the beliefs, opinions and feelings individuals hold regarding various aspects of human sexuality. These attitudes encompass a broad spectrum of views on topics such as sexual behaviors, relationships, gender roles and societal norms surrounding sexuality. Influenced by cultural, religious, familial and personal factors, sexual attitudes play a crucial role in shaping individual behaviors, choices, and interactions within their intimate relationships.

Measuring sexual attitudes is essential for gaining insights into how people perceive and navigate their sexual experiences. While societal-level attitudes offer valuable insights into cultural trends and norms, understanding individual attitudes allows for a more specific examination of personal beliefs and values. This granularity is particularly important in areas such as sexual health promotion, relationship counseling, and education, where tailored interventions and support can address individuals' specific needs and concerns.

The Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale is a concise and widely used tool for assessing individual attitudes towards sexuality. Originally developed by Hendrick and Hendrick 1987, and later revised in 2006, this tool evaluates attitudes across key domains such as permissiveness, birth control, communion, and instrumentality.

You can take this test here. Please follow all of the steps to receive your results.

Step 1: Listed below are several statements that reflect different attitudes about sex. For each statement fill in the response on the answer sheet that indicates how much you agree or disagree with that statement. Some of the items refer to a specific sexual relationship, while others refer to general attitudes and beliefs about sex. Whenever possible, answer the questions with your current partner in mind. If you are not currently dating anyone, answer the questions with your most recent partner in mind. If you have never had a sexual relationship, answer in terms of what you think your responses would most likely be.

1. I do not need to be committed to a person to have sex with them.

2. Casual sex is acceptable.

3. I would like to have sex with many partners.

4. One-night stands are sometimes enjoyable.

5. It is okay to have ongoing sexual relationships with more than one person at a time.

6. Sex as a simple exchange of favors is okay if both people agree to it.

7. The best sex is with no strings attached.

8. Life would have fewer problems if people could have sex more freely.

9. It is possible to enjoy sex with a person and not like that person very much.

10. It is okay for sex to be just good physical release.

11. Birth control is part of responsible sexuality.

12. A woman should share responsibility for birth control.

13. A man should share responsibility for birth control.

14. Sex is the closest form of communication between two people.

15. A sexual encounter between two people deeply in love is the ultimate human interaction.

16. At its best, sex seems to be the merging of two souls.

17. Sex is a very important part of life.

18. Sex is usually an intensive, almost overwhelming experience.

19. Sex is best when you let yourself go and focus on your own pleasure.

20. Sex is primarily the taking of pleasure from another person.

21. The main purpose of sex is to enjoy oneself.

22. Sex is primarily physical.

23. Sex is primarily a bodily function, like eating.

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores to people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.

References: Hendrick, C., Hendrick, S., & Reich, D. A. (2006). The Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale. The Journal of Sex Research, 43(1). 76-86.