Social Comparison Scale

What it measures

Measures the tendency to compare oneself with others — to use social comparison information to evaluate one's own opinions, abilities, and emotions. High social comparison orientation individuals habitually engage in social comparisons, especially when uncertain about their own standing. Used widely in social media and wellbeing research.

Response format

Likert (1–5, I disagree strongly to I agree strongly)

Representative items

• I often compare how I am doing socially (e.g., social skills, popularity) with other people.
• I always pay a lot of attention to how I do things compared with how others do things.
• I often compare myself with others with respect to what I have accomplished in life.
• It is important to me to know what others think in situations that are uncertain.
• If I want to find out how well I have done something, I compare what I have done with how others have done.

Usage notes & scoring

Freely available. Higher scores = greater social comparison orientation. Both upward (comparing to those better off) and downward (comparing to those worse off) comparisons are relevant. Widely used as a moderator of social media effects on wellbeing. Related to but distinct from envy and self-esteem.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Gibbons, F.X., & Buunk, B.P. (1999). Individual differences in social comparison: Development of a scale of social comparison orientation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(1), 129–142.

Keywords