Attitude Strength

Attitude strength refers to the extent to which an attitude is consequential. Compared to weak attitudes, strong attitudes are more likely to remain stable over time, resist influence, affect thought, and guide behavior.

Researchers have identified several attributes related to attitude strength. Several frequently studied attributes are well suited for survey research because they can be assessed directly using a single self-report survey item. For example, attitude extremity can be conceptualized as the absolute value of an attitude score reported on a bipolar scale that is centered at zero and ranges from strongly negative to strongly positive. Attitude importance is the significance people perceive a given attitude to have for them. Attitude certainty refers to how sure or how confident people are that their attitude is ...