RESOURCE HUB · VALIDATED SCALES
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES)
A 10-statement questionnaire that measures overall self-worth: how positively or negatively someone feels about themselves. It is one of the most widely used self-esteem measures in the world, in research, schools and clinical settings.
Teens and adults
10 items
A few minutes
Scores 0–30
What it measures
The Rosenberg scale measures global self-esteem, meaning a person's overall sense of their own worth rather than confidence in a particular area such as schoolwork or sport. Respondents rate how much they agree with ten statements about themselves. Five are worded positively (for example, feeling they have good qualities) and five negatively (for example, feeling they have little to be proud of), which helps reduce the effect of simply agreeing with everything.
Who it’s for
The scale was developed with older secondary school students and is now used with teenagers and adults across education, health and research. In schools it is typically used to understand self-esteem across a group, to evaluate programmes such as mentoring, transition support or PSHE interventions, and to track change over time. It is a measure of how pupils see themselves, not a diagnostic tool, and low scores are a prompt for a conversation rather than a label.
SAMPLE QUESTION
Overall, I feel fairly positive about who I am.
Strongly agree · Agree · Disagree · Strongly disagree
Paraphrased example for illustration. The original statements are available from the University of Maryland.
How it’s scored
Each statement has four response options, from strongly agree to strongly disagree, scored 0 to 3. The five negatively worded statements are reverse scored, so a higher number always means higher self-esteem. Adding the ten scores gives a total from 0 to 30. Some users score each item 1 to 4 instead, giving a range of 10 to 40, so check which version a result uses before comparing. There are no official cut-offs: a common rule of thumb treats 15 to 25 as within the typical range and below 15 as suggesting low self-esteem.
Validation and source
Sociologist Morris Rosenberg introduced the scale in 1965 in his book Society and the Adolescent Self-Image, based on a survey of more than 5,000 high school juniors and seniors in New York State. Since then it has become one of the most researched psychological measures, with strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability reported across many countries and dozens of translations. Most studies treat it as measuring a single overall factor, though some find separate positive and negative self-evaluation factors linked to the item wording. The University of Maryland, which holds Rosenberg's work, describes the scale as public domain, so it can be used without charge or permission, with standard attribution.
WHERE YOUHQ FITS
Validated scales measure. youHQ helps you act on what they show.
The Rosenberg scale gives you a clear picture of how pupils see themselves at a point in time. Self-esteem can shift quickly, though, after a falling-out, a bad result or a tough week at home. youHQ gives pupils a quick daily check-in on how they're feeling, so staff can notice a dip as it happens and step in early. Use the Rosenberg scale to measure the bigger picture, and youHQ to see what's happening day to day.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale free to use?
Yes. The University of Maryland describes the scale as public domain, so schools and researchers can use it without charge or permission. You should still credit Morris Rosenberg as the author.
What age is the Rosenberg scale suitable for?
It was developed with older secondary school students and is widely used with teenagers and adults. For younger children, a measure designed and validated for their age is usually a better choice.
What is a low score on the Rosenberg scale?
There is no official cut-off. On the 0 to 30 version, scores below 15 are commonly read as suggesting low self-esteem and 15 to 25 as typical. The scale works best for tracking change over time and comparing groups rather than labelling individuals.