UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3)

UCLA-LS3

psychologysocial scienceshealth sciencesFree for research use

A 20-item self-report instrument measuring subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Version 3 uses simpler wording than earlier versions and balances positively and negatively worded items.

Items

Response format

4-point frequency scale

Version

1.0

Ready-to-cite methods sentence

Loneliness was assessed using the 20-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, Version 3 (Russell, 1996), with nine positively-worded items reverse-scored. The scale showed excellent internal consistency in the original validation samples (α = .94).

Reliability & validation

Validation population

Undergraduate students, nurses, teachers, and elderly adults (combined validation samples)

Test–retest

0.73

Cronbach's α

0.94

Response anchors

Never · Rarely · Sometimes · Often

Known limitations

Designed as a unidimensional measure, although factor analyses have supported two- and three-factor solutions in some samples. Readability is US high-school level.

Original citation

Russell, D. W. (1996). UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66(1), 20-40.

https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6601_2

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Library entry verified January 2024. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.