Narrative Transportation Scale

What it measures

Measures the degree to which a person becomes mentally immersed in a narrative — losing themselves in a story to the point where the real world fades. Transportation is a key mechanism through which narrative advertising and branded content persuade consumers: transported audiences are more accepting of story-consistent beliefs and less likely to counter-argue. Widely used in entertainment-education and branded content research.

Response format

Likert (1–7, not at all to very much)

Scale items

• While I was reading/viewing the narrative, I could easily picture the events in it taking place.
• The narrative affected me emotionally.
• While reading/viewing, I found myself thinking of ways the narrative could have turned out differently.
• I found myself transported to the world described in the narrative.
• I found my mind wandering while reading/viewing the narrative. (R)
• The narrative seemed very realistic to me.
• I was emotionally involved in the narrative while reading/viewing it.
• I wanted to learn how the narrative ended.
• The events in the narrative are relevant to my everyday life.
• The events in the narrative changed how I think about the topic.
• While reading/viewing the narrative, activity going on around me was on my mind. (R)

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

(R)=reverse-scored. Score = mean. Higher = greater transportation into narrative. Transportation reduces counter-arguing and increases story-consistent belief change — a key mechanism in narrative persuasion theory. Widely used in health communication, branded content, and social marketing research. The Narrative Engagement Scale (Busselle & Bilandzic, 2009) offers a multidimensional alternative.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Green, M.C., & Brock, T.C. (2000). The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(5), 701–721.

Keywords