The Kinsey Scale

In the 1940s, the research team at the Institute for Sex Research interviewed thousands of people about their sexual histories. Their research showed that sexual behavior, thoughts, and feelings towards the same or opposite sex were not always consistent across time and did not always fit into exclusive heterosexual or homosexual categories. So, instead of assigning people to a category —heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual—the team created a new seven-point scale reflecting what the study participants said about their sexual activity and interests. 

First published in Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948), the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale came to be known as the "Kinsey Scale." It ranges from 0 to 6 with an additional category of "X" for those who reported no sexual activity or interest.

People at “0” report exclusively heterosexual / opposite sex behavior or attraction. Those at “6” report exclusively homosexual / same-sex behavior or attraction. Ratings 1–5 are for those who report varying levels of attraction or sexual activity with either sex. In the original Kinsey Report studies, the X category designated the group who reported no socio-sexual contacts or reactions in their interviews.

Although you may run across so-called "Kinsey tests" on the internet, an official Kinsey Scale test does not exist. The original Kinsey research team assigned a person a number based on the information they gave about their sexual history in face-to-face interviews. The number was not based on a quiz.

Research materials

Data gathered from the Kinsey interviews has been digitized. The Kinsey Institute makes all related material, including the original notes, available to qualified researchers who demonstrate a need to view them. The institute also allows researchers to use statistical software, such as PSPP or SPSS, for data analysis.

Significance of the Kinsey Reports

Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior of the Human Female (1953) are known collectively as the Kinsey Reports. Together, they sold nearly a million copies and were translated in 13 languages. The Kinsey Reports are associated with a change in public perception of sexuality and considered part of the most successful and influential scientific books of the 20th century.

Other scales or tests

The Kinsey Scale does not address all possible sexual identities. The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid and the Storms Scale have stepped in to further define sexual expression.

The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, developed by Fritz Klein, features seven variables and three situations in time: past, present, and ideal. The Storms Scale, developed by Michael D. Storms, plots eroticism on an X and Y axis. This allows for a much greater range of descriptions.

Kinsey, Storm, and Klein are only three of more than 200 scales to measure and describe sexual orientation.

Many persons do not want to believe that there are gradations in these matters from one to the other extreme.
- Sexual Behavior of the Human Female (1953)

• University of Illinois at Springfield, Student Affairs Office. (2009). Continuum of Human Sexuality. [A short non-technical discussion of sexual orientation and the Kinsey Scale.]
• Diamond, Milton. (1993). Homosexuality and bisexuality in different populations. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 22(4), 291–310. [Uses Kinsey Scale to standardize and measure later studies’ findings.]
• Hansen, Charles E., and Evans, A. (1985). Bisexuality reconsidered: An idea in pursuit of a definition. Journal of Homosexuality, 11(1–2), 1–6. [Provides critique of Kinsey Scale and calls for other measures for bisexuality.]
• Kinsey, Alfred C. et al. (1948/1998). Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; Bloomington: Indiana U. Press. [First publication of Kinsey’s Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale. Discusses Kinsey Scale, pp. 636–659.]
• Kinsey, Alfred C. et al. (1953/1998). Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; Bloomington: Indiana U. Press. [Discusses the Kinsey Scale and presents comparisons of male and female data, pp. 468–475.]
• McWhirter, David P., et al. (1990). Homosexuality/Heterosexuality: Concepts of Sexual Orientation. New York: Oxford University Press. [Based on symposium at The Kinsey Institute. Discusses sexual orientation and the current usefulness of the Kinsey Scale. Includes other scales proposed by contributors to this work. One such scale is the Coleman Model of Clinical Assessment of Sexual Orientation.]
• Ross, Michael W. (1983). Femininity, masculinity, and sexual orientation: Some cross-cultural comparisons. Journal of Homosexuality, 9(1), 27–35. [Combines the Bem Scale with Kinsey Scale across different nationalities.]
• Sell, Randall L. (1997). Defining and measuring sexual orientation: A review. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 26(6), 643–658. [Outlines Kinsey Scale, Klein Scale, and Shively/DeCecco Scale.]
• Van Wyk, Paul H., and Geist, Chrisann S. (1984). Psychosocial development of heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual behavior. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 13(6), 505–544. [Adds a family development model to the Kinsey Scale.]

• Chung, Y. Barry, and Katayama, Motoni. (1996). Assessment of sexual orientation in lesbian/gay/bisexual studies. Journal of Homosexuality, 30(4), 49–62. [Critically reviews methods for assessing sexual orientation.]
• Davis, Clive M., et al. (1997). Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications. [Includes 14 measures of homosexualities, one for heterosexual preferences. There are also related measures for gender, masculinity, femininity, and transsexualism..]
• Ellis, Lee, et al. (1987). Sexual orientation as a continuous variable: A comparison between the sexes. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 16(6), 523–529. [Measures sexual orientation in two facets: 1) experience measure; and 2) a fantasy measure.]
• Gonsiorek, John C., and Weinrich, James D. (1995). Definition and measurement of sexual orientation. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 25(Suppl), 40–51. [Critically examines how sexual orientation is measured and defined.]
• Klein, Fritz, et al. (1985). Sexual orientation: A multi-variable dynamic process. Journal of Homosexuality, 11(1–2), 35–49. [Discusses the problem of lack of clear, widely accepted definitions of heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual].
• Read more on the Klein Grid at The American Institute of Bisexuality
• Sell, Randall L. (1996). The Sell Assessment of Sexual Orientation: Background and scoring. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 1(4), 295–310. [Includes review of sexual orientation measures, which are characterized as dichotomous, bipolar, multidimensional, and/or orthogonal.]