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Brief Debt Behavior Questionnaire3

Brief Debt Behavior Questionnaire Test

Understand your debt mindset in 3 minutes, from borrowing and lending to repayment responsibility. Fast 14-item snapshot supports screening, counseling, and research by spotting risk patterns early.

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Questions: 143 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

14,825 views

1,170 completions

1,001 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

11/20

Disapproval of Lending (DoL)

Measures how willing a person is to lend money to others, reflecting social trust and a helping orientation in debt-related situations.

Cautious lender

Selective lender

Open-handed lender

4 – 9: Cautious lender | 10 – 14: Selective lender | 15 – 20: Open-handed lender

A score of 11 falls in the Selective lender range, suggesting a moderate willingness to lend that depends on the relationship and perceived reliability of repayment.

example score

11/20

Debt Avoidance (DA)

This scale measures a person’s tendency to avoid borrowing versus being willing to take on debt under uncertainty.

Debt-accepting

Balanced

Debt-avoidant

4 – 9: Debt-accepting | 10 – 14: Balanced | 15 – 20: Debt-avoidant

A score of 11 falls in the Balanced range, suggesting a moderate willingness to borrow that depends on context and perceived risk.

example score

20/30

Debt Rationality (DR)

Measures how consistently a person prioritizes timely repayment and plans for fulfilling current or potential debt obligations.

Lower rationality

Moderate rationality

Higher rationality

6 – 14: Lower rationality | 15 – 22: Moderate rationality | 23 – 30: Higher rationality

A score of 20 falls in the Moderate rationality range, suggesting a generally conscientious approach to debt obligations with some variability in consistency across situations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Loan and credit users

41%OF USERS

People who already borrow money want a quick snapshot of their attitudes toward debt and how reliably they repay in different situations.

Counseling and social service clients

34%OF USERS

Individuals in financial coaching or support programs take it to identify risky patterns and start a focused conversation about repayment habits.

Researchers and program evaluators

25%OF USERS

Survey teams use it as a fast screening tool to segment respondents by borrowing, lending, and responsibility norms in large studies.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Judging Borrowing (JB)

Average

11.1

Normal range

8.6 — 13.7

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Debt Avoidance (DA)

Average

12.4

Normal range

10.1 — 14.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Debt Rationality (DR)

Average

17.5

Normal range

13.9 — 21.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Completely agree
- Agree
- Not sure
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree
- Completely agree
- Agree
- Not sure
- Disagree
- Completely disagree
- Strongly agree
- Agree
- Not sure
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree

These are 3 of the 14 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Brief Debt Behavior Questionnaire Test - Symptoms and Signs

financial behavior

In clinical and research contexts, the Brief Debt Behavior Questionnaire provides a brief self-report snapshot of common patterns in borrowing, lending, and repayment behavior. It is intended to support an initial understanding of how an individual typically approaches debt-related decisions and obligations.

Developed by Thomas A. Durkin and Lea S. Hamilton, the measure includes 14 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete. Results are generally used to inform screening, case formulation, or descriptive research on financial behavior, with interpretation best integrated with relevant contextual information (e.g., current stressors, access to resources, and financial history). The Brief Debt Behavior Questionnaire is not a standalone diagnostic instrument.

Author: Lea S. Hamilton, Thomas A. Durkin

Literature: Norvilitis, J. M., Merwin, M. M., Osberg, T. M., Roehling, P. V., Young, P., & Kamas, M. M. Personality factors, money attitudes, financial knowledge, and credit-card debt in college students. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2006.