UCLA Loneliness Scale, Version 3
A self-report measure of perceived loneliness, not simply how many contacts someone has.
Questionnaire The format describes how observations are obtained, not an evidence rating.
What it measures
Subjective loneliness and perceived inadequacy of social connection.
What people do
Version 3 uses 20 items (11 negatively worded and 9 positively worded) asking how often each statement is descriptive of the respondent, rated on a 4-point frequency scale from 1 (Never), 2 (Rarely), 3 (Sometimes) to 4 (Always). Shorter loneliness forms are separate versions.
What the scores mean
Reverse-score the nine positively worded items and sum all 20 items to obtain a total score ranging from 20 to 80. A loneliness score describes subjective experience, not the objective size of a social network.
This explains the logic of a score. It does not supply a test form, individual result or administration manual.
Development and versions
Daniel Russell evaluated Version 3 in 1996, simplifying the wording of the earlier 20-item UCLA scale lineage and adding “How often do you feel...” item stems.
Evidence: (Russell, 1996); (Spielman et al., 2020)
Reliability and validity evidence
The abstract reports internal consistency of .89–.94 and one-year retest r = .73 across datasets including students, nurses, teachers and older adults. These are study results, not guaranteed values in a new sample.
Evidence belongs to a version, sample and interpretation. Read the source notes for what was actually inspected.
Evidence: (Russell, 1996); (Spielman et al., 2020)
Where it is used
Research on perceived social connection, with separate measures when network size or support availability matters.
Limits and common misreadings
- Living alone and loneliness are different constructs.
- Item wording can introduce method effects.
- A translated or shorter form needs its own evidence.
Read an example
Original teaching example
A fictional participant has many colleagues yet feels disconnected; another lives alone and feels well supported. Counting contacts alone would miss the difference the loneliness construct is meant to capture.
Constructed for learning; this is not a result from the instrument’s validation study.
Access and permission
Obtain the selected form and current terms from its authorized source. The research abstract is not a redistribution license.
Textbook connection
Related contextPsychology 2e: 2.2 Approaches to Research
Conceptual context; the instrument-specific sources in this profile provide the primary evidence.
Related measures
Read a measure critically · Explore score examples · Review research methods
Sources and inspection notes
Checked October 22, 2026. An inspection date is not a publication date. Publisher information is not presented as independent validation; abstract-only and indexed-excerpt access are identified below.
- Russell, D. W. (1996). UCLA loneliness scale (version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66(1), 20–40. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6601_2Consulted sourcePrimary research: indexed abstract
College-student, nurse, teacher and older-adult datasets; reported internal consistency and one-year retest figures. Full item text is not reproduced.
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/2-2-approaches-to-researchTextbook: conceptual context
Conceptual context; the instrument-specific sources in this profile provide the primary evidence.