Attitude scale: TPB, advertising and brand attitudes

Attitude is a person's positive or negative evaluation of an object or a behavior. In TRA and TPB, attitude toward the behavior is one of three factors leading to intention; in advertising research, attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand mediate between ad content and purchase intention. Attitude is usually measured with semantic-differential adjective pairs. Common topics in Vietnam: attitude toward green products, TikTok ads, celebrity endorsement, cashless payment.

Comparing the scales

Items of each scale

Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or [brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.

Attitude toward the Behavior (ATT) · Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale

Code	Item
ATT1	[Performing the behavior] is: harmful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 beneficial
ATT2 (R)	[Performing the behavior] is: good 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 bad
ATT3 (R)	[Performing the behavior] is: pleasant (for me) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 unpleasant (for me)
ATT4	[Performing the behavior] is: worthless 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 useful

Source: Francis et al. (2004). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale.

Use in the survey kit

Attitude toward the Ad (AAD) · Attitude toward the ad and brand scales (Aad, Ab)

Code	Item
AAD1	Bad – Good
AAD2	Unpleasant – Pleasant
AAD3	Unfavorable – Favorable

Source: MacKenzie & Lutz (1989). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Attitude toward the ad and brand scales (Aad, Ab).

Use in the survey kit Open all of Attitude toward the ad and brand scales (Aad, Ab) (2 constructs)

Attitude toward the Brand (AB) · Attitude toward the ad and brand scales (Aad, Ab)

Code	Item
AB1	Unappealing – Appealing
AB2	Bad – Good
AB3	Unpleasant – Pleasant
AB4	Unfavorable – Favorable
AB5	Unlikable – Likable

Source: Spears & Singh (2004). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Attitude toward the ad and brand scales (Aad, Ab).

Use in the survey kit

(R): reverse-coded item; recode before analysis. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) scale: 1–7 scale: new score = 1 + 7 − score = 8 − score. For adjective pairs with the positive pole on the left, reverse so that a high score always means the positive pole.

Tips

• All three scales use 7-point semantic-differential adjective pairs. Present them as a table with the two adjectives at either end; do not convert them into agree statements.
• In the TPB attitude scale, ATT2 and ATT3 have the positive adjective on the left, so they must be reverse-scored. You can reorder so the positive adjective is always on the right and state the adjustment.
• For attitude toward the ad, show respondents the ad (image or video) right before the questions so they evaluate the same object.
• Attitude toward a behavior differs from attitude toward a product. Someone may like organic products but find buying them inconvenient.

Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Should attitude be measured with Likert or semantic-differential pairs?

Ajzen and the original attitude scales use adjective pairs. Many theses switch to Likert items such as 'I think buying green products is good'. Both are acceptable if you state the source and the adaptation.

How many adjective pairs does TPB attitude need?

There is no required number. Ajzen recommends using both instrumental adjectives (beneficial, useful) and affective adjectives (pleasant, enjoyable) so the scale covers both sides of attitude. The library scale has 4 pairs following the example of Francis et al. (2004), covering both types.

Does attitude toward the ad affect purchase intention?

In MacKenzie and Lutz's (1989) model, attitude toward the ad influences attitude toward the brand, which in turn influences purchase intention. Theses often test this mediation chain.