Existential Anxiety Scale (ECQ) Test

Understand how strongly fears of death, loneliness, and meaninglessness affect you in about 5 minutes. Quick, clear results support self-reflection, therapy planning, and research use.

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Questions: 225 minutes

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08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

26935 views

2601 completion

2224 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

14/20

Avoidance (A)

Measures the tendency to avoid thinking about existential themes such as death, meaning, and loneliness.

Low

Moderate

High

4 – 9: Low | 10 – 15: Moderate | 16 – 20: High

A score of 14 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable tendency to steer away from difficult existential topics while not consistently avoiding them in all situations.

example score

19/30

Death Anxiety (DA)

Measures anxiety and distress related to awareness of mortality and fear of death.

Low

Moderate

High

6 – 13: Low | 14 – 22: Moderate | 23 – 30: High

A score of 19 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting death-related concerns are present and may contribute to noticeable but not extreme distress.

example score

47/60

Existential Anxiety (EA)

Measures distress linked to existential concerns such as meaning in life, freedom of choice, and personal responsibility.

Low

Moderate

High

12 – 27: Low | 28 – 43: Moderate | 44 – 60: High

A score of 47 falls in the High range, suggesting that existential themes like meaning, freedom, and responsibility are currently a strong source of distress.

example score

44/110

Existential Anxiety (EA)

Measures the overall intensity of anxiety related to core existential themes such as meaning, freedom, isolation, and death.

Lower

Moderate

Higher

22 – 51: Lower | 52 – 80: Moderate | 81 – 110: Higher

A score of 44 falls in the Lower range, suggesting existential concerns are present but currently have a relatively limited impact on overall distress.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People in a life transition

41%OF USERS

Those facing major changes—loss, illness, breakup, relocation, or career shifts—who notice stronger fears about meaning, death, or loneliness.

Therapy and self-exploration seekers

34%OF USERS

People doing psychotherapy or personal growth who want to name and measure how much existential worries affect their mood and daily life.

Clinicians and researchers

25%OF USERS

Mental health professionals and study teams using a quick questionnaire to screen existential anxiety and guide further assessment or discussion.

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

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

What You’ll See After You Finish the Test

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale, translated into plain, usable insights. Not just numbers, but what they actually mean for your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

A structured, clinically grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation — without alarmist language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how you compare to others. Your scores are placed in a statistical context, showing percentiles and trends based on anonymized platform data to help you understand what`s typical.

Practical
Recommendations

Actionable guidance tailored to your profile. Receive clear, realistic suggestions you can apply immediately — focused on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Detected
Insights

Key patterns you might not notice on your own. Surfacing subtle connections in your responses that help you better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Psychologist

Clarify, reflect, and explore right away. Talk through your outcomes, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue environment.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you finish the test, your results will be compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of the benchmarks we use to place your score in context.

Avoidance (A)

Average

8.6

Normal range

6.1 — 11.2

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Anxiety about death (Aad)

Average

Normal range

14.5 — 21.6

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Existential anxiety (Ea)

Average

42.3

Normal range

33.4 — 51.3

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Existential Anxiety Scale (EAS)

Average

59.6

Normal range

45.3 — 74

min.

max.

110

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Any questions left?

What does this questionnaire measure?

It screens for anxiety related to core existential concerns such as death, meaninglessness, and isolation. It summarizes how strongly these themes affect current psychological distress.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

Completion time is about 5 minutes. The questionnaire includes 22 items.

What instructions should be followed when responding?

Answer all items based on typical thoughts and feelings rather than rare extremes. Use the first response that fits without extended deliberation.

How should the score be interpreted?

Higher scores indicate greater existentially focused anxiety and broader impact on well-being. Results are screening indicators and should be interpreted with other clinical or contextual information.

Can it be used in clinical work, research, or self-reflection?

It is suitable for clinical screening, research data collection, and structured self-reflection. It can support focused discussion of core fears and meaning-related concerns in therapy.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Existential Anxiety Scale (ECQ) Test

existential psychology attitude toward death uneasiness

This brief self-report measure assesses distress related to core existential concerns. The Existential Anxiety Scale (ECQ) is intended to help characterize the degree to which themes such as mortality, meaning, and isolation are experienced as anxiety-provoking.

The instrument consists of 22 items and typically takes about 5 minutes to complete. Responses yield an estimate of existentially focused anxiety that may inform clinical case formulation, support treatment planning, or be used as a descriptive measure in research settings.

As presented by psytests.org (2024), the Existential Anxiety Scale (ECQ) is designed for efficient administration and may be incorporated into a broader assessment battery alongside other measures of mood, anxiety, and functioning.

Author: psytests.org (2024)

Literature: van Bruggen, V., Klooster, P., Westerhof, G., Vos, J., Kleine, E., Bohlmeijer, E., & Glas, G. The existential concerns questionnaire (ECQ): Development and initial validation of a new existential anxiety scale in a nonclinical and clinical sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2017.

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