The Need to Belong scale measures individual differences in people's motivation to feel like part of a group. The sense of belonging - of knowning one's place without a group and feeling cared for by its members - is a basic human drive, but its strength varies considerably from person to person. People with high scores on this scale tend to prioritize their group memberships, taking action to signal their affiliations to others and cement their place in their groups. People with low scores tend to be more independent, and feel more comfortable with "going it alone."

The task you will engage in to complete the Need to Belong scale is a simple survey. You will see 10 statements, one at a time, and rate them with respect to how well they apply to yourself on the 1-5 scale shown above (left). At the end of the study, you will be presented with histograms that reflect the distribution of other participants' responses on the Need to Belong scale. Your scores relative to others will be shown via a vertical line, as shown above (right). Please note that receiving a high or low score on this survey is not necessarily a good or bad thing. There are both advantages and drawbacks to having a high Need to Belong, and only you can decide how to appropriately weigh the information the survey provides. If you wish to participate in the Need to Belong survey, please click the button below.