Measurement of Nuclear War Attitudes: Methods and Concerns

Abstract

Psychologists have researched attitudes toward the threat of nuclear war in increasing numbers. With this trend there has been an increase in the number of instruments designed to assess attitudes toward nuclear war issues. This article reviews some representative attitude scales that are noteworthy. Special attention is paid to the psychometric characteristics of reliability and validity and to the philosophical or theoretical underpinnings of the scales. Recommendations are made regarding the direction of future research in dealing with the general psychometric, theoretical, and interpretive concerns that are addressed.