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Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWA)3

Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWA) Test

Understand tendencies toward conformity, submission to authority, and punitive attitudes in about 5 minutes. A brief 22 item measure that delivers clear, research-ready insight fast.

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Questions: 225 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

30,190 views

3,050 completions

2,449 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

66/180

Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA)

Measures tendency toward conventionalism, authoritarian submission, and support for punitive aggression against perceived norm violators.

Low–Moderate

High

20 – 99: Low–Moderate | 100 – 180: High

A score of 66 falls in the Low–Moderate range, suggesting relatively limited endorsement of strict traditional norms, deference to authority, and punitive attitudes toward dissenters.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Social science students

41%OF USERS

They take it for coursework or thesis projects to quantify authoritarian tendencies and compare groups.

Political psychology researchers

34%OF USERS

They use it in surveys and experiments to study conventionalism, submission to authority, and support for punitive norms.

Curious self-explorers

25%OF USERS

They want a quick personal snapshot of how strongly they prefer tradition, strict rules, and deference to authority.

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.

Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RAS)

Average

129.8

Normal range

99.9 — 159.7

min.

max.

180

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

Below is a series of statements concerning various social issues in contemporary society. You will likely find that you agree with some statements to varying degrees and disagree with others. Please indicate your response to each statement using the scale from −4 (strongly disagree) to +4 (strongly agree). If you feel that a statement elicits no reaction, select “0.”

- (−4) Strongly disagree
- (−3) Disagree
- (−2) Somewhat disagree
- (−1) Slightly disagree
- (0) Neutral
- (+1) Slightly agree
- (+2) Somewhat agree
- (+3) Agree
- (+4) Strongly agree
- (−4) Strongly disagree
- (−3) Disagree
- (−2) Somewhat disagree
- (−1) Slightly disagree
- (0) Neutral
- (+1) Slightly agree
- (+2) Somewhat agree
- (+3) Agree
- (+4) Strongly agree
- (−4) Strongly disagree
- (−3) Disagree
- (−2) Somewhat disagree
- (−1) Slightly disagree
- (0) Neutral
- (+1) Slightly agree
- (+2) Somewhat agree
- (+3) Agree
- (+4) Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 22 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

Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWA) Test - Symptoms and Signs

social attitudes

This measure is designed to assess individual differences associated with authoritarian attitudes and related behavioral dispositions. The Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWA) evaluates three commonly described facets: conventionalism, authoritarian aggression, and authoritarian submission.

It is a self-report questionnaire consisting of 22 items and typically requires about 5 minutes to complete. Items are presented as statements for which respondents indicate their level of agreement, yielding a score that can be used in research or clinical-adjacent settings to characterize authoritarianism-related tendencies. The Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWA) is most appropriately interpreted with attention to cultural and contextual factors, particularly when used outside the population for which it was originally developed.

Author: Bob Altemeyer

Literature: John F. Dovidio, Miles Hewstone, Peter Glick, and Victoria M. Esses (Eds.). The SAGE handbook of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. SAGE Publications. 2010.; Milton Rokeach. The nature of human values. Free Press. 1973.; Bob Altemeyer. Enemies of freedom: Understanding right-wing authoritarianism. Jossey-Bass. 1988.; John T. Jost, Jack Glaser, Arie W. Kruglanski, and Frank J. Sulloway. Political conservatism as motivated social cognition. Psychological Bulletin. 2003.