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Attitudes Toward Lying Questionnaire3

Attitudes Toward Lying Questionnaire Test

This 34-question assessment takes about 7 minutes; the Attitudes Toward Lying Questionnaire Test examines reactions to different forms and motives of deception. Your result can show how you view socially protective, self-presentational, polite, and other types of lying, offering a useful starting point for self-reflection about communication and relationships.

Questions: 347 minutes

Attitudes Toward Lying Questionnaire: situation and reply bubbles

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Justifying LieJL

Measures how acceptable and understandable the respondent finds justificatory lies used to reduce blame after a shameful act is revealed.

example score7/8

7/8High acceptanceexample score

0 – 2Low acceptance

3 – 5Moderate acceptance

6 – 8High acceptance

A score of 7 falls in the High acceptance range, suggesting the respondent is generally more inclined to view justificatory lies as understandable or permissible for mitigating consequences.

Fantasy LyingFL

Measures how acceptable or typical the person finds harmless fantasy-style lying used to embellish one’s image without intent to harm.

example score5/8

5/8Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 5Moderate

6 – 8High

A score of 5 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not dominant tendency to view image-enhancing, harmless fantasy lies as acceptable or understandable.

Lying for Someone's BenefitLfSB

Measures how acceptable you find withholding important information to protect someone from harm.

example score4/8

4/8Moderate acceptanceexample score

0 – 2Low acceptance

3 – 5Moderate acceptance

6 – 8High acceptance

A score of 4 indicates a moderate tendency to view protective withholding as acceptable in some situations, while still valuing openness in others.

Polite LiePL

Measures how acceptable and commonplace the person finds etiquette-based “polite lies” used to maintain social harmony.

example score5/8

5/8Moderate acceptanceexample score

0 – 2Low acceptance

3 – 5Moderate acceptance

6 – 8High acceptance

A score of 5 suggests a moderate acceptance of etiquette lies, viewing them as situationally appropriate but not universally justified.

Reasons for LyingRfL

Measures how strongly a person attributes various motives and reasons for lying to other people.

example score7/12

7/12Moderate motives attributedexample score

0 – 4Few motives attributed

5 – 8Moderate motives attributed

9 – 12Many motives attributed

A score of 7 indicates a moderate tendency to see multiple possible reasons behind others’ lying rather than assuming a single motive.

Lying as Self-PresentationLaSP

Measures how acceptable or typical a person finds lying that is used to enhance one’s image in interactions with acquaintances or strangers.

example score3/8

3/8Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 5Moderate

6 – 8High

A score of 3 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a generally mixed or situational attitude toward self-presentation lies rather than a strong acceptance or rejection.

GossipG

Measures how acceptable or typical a person finds sharing unverified information about others (gossip) as a form of lying.

example score3/8

3/8Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 5Moderate

6 – 8High

A score of 3 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a mixed or situational attitude toward gossip-related unverified information rather than a consistently rejecting or endorsing stance.

OmissionO

Measures how acceptable or impactful the respondent perceives lying by omission (withholding relevant information) in close relationships and everyday interactions.

example score4/8

4/8Moderate acceptanceexample score

0 – 2Low acceptance

3 – 5Moderate acceptance

6 – 8High acceptance

A score of 4 indicates a moderate acceptance of omission, suggesting the respondent may see silence as sometimes permissible but still potentially misleading depending on context.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Couples and close friends

41%OF USERS

People who want clearer boundaries around honesty in their relationship and to understand which kinds of lies feel acceptable or harmful.

Therapists and counselors

34%OF USERS

Practitioners who use a quick questionnaire to discuss trust, conflict triggers, and motives attributed to others’ deception in sessions.

HR and researchers

25%OF USERS

Professionals studying communication norms in teams or groups who need a structured, fast measure of attitudes toward different lie types.

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.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Lie-justificationL

You?

Average5

Typical rangeTypical3.5 – 6.5

Possible0 – 8

Lie-FantasyL

You?

Average3.8

Typical rangeTypical2.5 – 5

Possible0 – 8

Lies for a Good CauseLfaGC

You?

Average5.9

Typical rangeTypical4.9 – 6.9

Possible0 – 8

Etiquette LiesEL

You?

Average4.3

Typical rangeTypical3.3 – 5.3

Possible0 – 8

Causes of LyingCoL

You?

Average3

Typical rangeTypical1.1 – 4.9

Possible0 – 12

Self-Presentation LiesSL

You?

Average5.1

Typical rangeTypical3.6 – 6.6

Possible0 – 8

GossipG

You?

Average2.4

Typical rangeTypical1.2 – 3.6

Possible0 – 8

DefaultD

You?

Average3.8

Typical rangeTypical2.4 – 5.1

Possible0 – 8

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

In everyday life, people often witness information being distorted as it is communicated. In some cases, the distortion is ignored; in others, it elicits indignation. You will now be presented with a series of common situations in which you witness information being distorted. Please recall how you typically respond in such situations and select one response option. If you have not encountered a particular situation, please try to imagine it.

- This is one of the main reasons for lying
- This is often a reason for lying
- This is rarely a reason for lying
- This is one of the main reasons for lying
- This is often a reason for lying
- This is rarely a reason for lying
- This is one of the main reasons for lying.
- This is often a reason for lying.
- This is rarely a reason for lying.

These are 3 of the 34 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Attitudes Toward Lying Questionnaire Test - Description and methodology of the test

dishonesty

People who want to examine their own reactions to everyday deception can use the Attitudes Toward Lying Questionnaire Test as a structured reflection on communication, trust, and social judgment. This lying questionnaire suits readers interested in what they do when someone exaggerates, withholds information, offers a polite falsehood, or lies to protect another person. The result describes tendencies rather than assigning a fixed character label.

What This Assessment Explores

These context-sensitive attitudes toward lying appear in eight result dimensions:

Justifying Lie (0-8) measures defensive acceptance: Low acceptance 0-2; Moderate acceptance 3-5; High acceptance 6-8.
Fantasy Lying (0-8) measures harmless embellishment: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-5; High 6-8.
Lying for Someone's Benefit (0-8) measures protective withholding: Low acceptance 0-2; Moderate acceptance 3-5; High acceptance 6-8.
Polite Lie (0-8) measures etiquette-based deception: Low acceptance 0-2; Moderate acceptance 3-5; High acceptance 6-8.
Reasons for Lying (0-12) measures attributed motives: Few motives attributed 0-4; Moderate motives attributed 5-8; Many motives attributed 9-12.
Lying as Self-Presentation (0-8) measures image-enhancing deception: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-5; High 6-8.
Gossip (0-8) measures unverified claims: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-5; High 6-8.
Omission (0-8) measures incomplete distortion: Low acceptance 0-2; Moderate acceptance 3-5; High acceptance 6-8.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

Each item presents a social situation with three response options. The scenario choices move from ignoring a falsehood, through silently changing behaviour, to confronting the speaker; other items ask whether a motive is a main, often used, or rare reason for lying. This format recognizes that types of lies differ by purpose.

Responses are combined into the profile dimensions, but no universal point value for each option is stated. The displayed bands are descriptive categories, not population norms or clinical thresholds; a higher result indicates stronger acceptance or attribution within its dimension, not necessarily more frequent lying.

Conceptually, it is closest to the Attitude Toward Lies Questionnaire (Shkuratova & Krikalo, 2007), with relevant context from Shkuratova (2009), DePaulo et al. (1996), and Ekman (2009) on self-presentation, everyday deception, and social context. These sources support comparison, not a claim that this assessment reproduces or validates them.

Self-report results may shift with current relationships, memory, social desirability, and willingness to acknowledge uncomfortable motives. Read the profile as a structured description of reported attitudes rather than a fixed character verdict.

Author: Paul Ekman

Literature:

Shkuratova, I. P., & Krikalo, E. L. (2007). Students' Attitudes Toward Different Types of Their Own and Others' Lies. In Individual Differences in Cognition and Communication (pp. 266-284). Rostov-on-Don: Antey.
Shkuratova, I. P. (2009). Self-Presentation of Personality in Communication. Rostov-on-Don: Southern Federal University Press. ISBN 978-5-9275-0619-4.
DePaulo, B. M., Kashy, D. A., Kirkendol, S. E., Wyer, M. M., & Epstein, J. A. (1996). Lying in Everyday Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(5), 979-995. 10.1037/0022-3514.70.5.979
Ekman, P. (2009). Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage (revised ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393337457.

Updated: 2025-10-02