Self-report measure

Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ-16)

Q: How many items are on the TEQ?

16 items; eight are reverse-scored and responses are summed to a total empathy score (Spreng et al., 2009).

Q: What does a higher score mean?

Higher totals indicate greater self-reported empathy on the broad dimension the TEQ was designed to measure (Spreng et al., 2009).

Q: Is the TEQ multi-factor?

No. Spreng et al. (2009) developed it to tap a singular, broad empathy dimension common across narrower empathy concepts.

A 16-item self-report measure of cognitive and affective empathy, assessing the capacity to recognize and share the emotional states of others.

A short questionnaire that scores empathy as one broad dimension—how readily you understand and respond to other people’s emotions.

You learn how naturally empathic you are.

For anyone curious about how naturally they tune in to other people's feelings.

Start the test

Pay $2 before you start. The full report and PDF are included.

Your answers stay private.

It comes from empathy research that treats empathy as mainly emotional.

Sample result, example data. Illustrative chart with invented scores; it does not describe any real respondent.

Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ-16) box

What this test is

Welcome. A 16-item self-report measure of cognitive and affective empathy, assessing the capacity to recognize and share the emotional states of others.

A short questionnaire that scores empathy as one broad dimension—how readily you understand and respond to other people’s emotions.

The measure

The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ-16) was developed by Spreng and colleagues (2009). It has 16 items, each answered on a 5-point (Never … Always) scale.

Spreng, R.N., McKinnon, M.C., Mar, R.A., & Levine, B. (2009). The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire: Scale development and initial validation of a factor-analytic solution to multiple empathy measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(1), 62–71.

At a glance

Items

Response scale

5-point (Never … Always)

Est. time

~2 min

Access

Pay before you start · $2, or $1 to repeat · full report and PDF included

What it measures

Sixteen statements describe everyday empathic responses: becoming upset when a friend is upset, being able to tell when others are sad even when they say nothing, feeling protective toward someone being taken advantage of, enjoying making others feel better, and being moved by others' misfortunes. Some statements are worded the other way, about remaining unmoved by others' happiness or distress.

Spreng, McKinnon, Mar and Levine (2009) developed the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire by analyzing items from several existing empathy measures and selecting those that best reflected a common factor. The result treats empathy as a primarily emotional process, the capacity to understand and share another person's feelings, rather than splitting it into separate components.

The sixteen ratings are summed into a single score. Higher scores describe a stronger tendency to notice and share others' feelings; lower scores describe a more detached response. Because empathy is measured as a single trait, the score does not separate understanding another's view from feeling with them.

The questionnaire is used in research on social cognition and in clinical and educational settings. On this site, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) Battery separates perspective-taking, empathic concern, personal distress and fantasy, the Empathic Concern scale focuses on compassion for others, and the Emotional Intelligence Scales describe attention to and expression of emotion.

Validity evidence

In support of its discriminant validity, Spreng et al. (2009) found a significant inverse association (r = -.30, p <.001) between the TEQ and the Autism Quotient, a commonly used self-report measure of deficits in social communication and interaction ability. In addition, the TEQ was linked (r =.35, p <.01; r =.23, p <.05) with two different behavioral indices of the ability to comprehend social information, indicating that the TEQ outperforms other commonly used self-report measures of empathy in assessing actual empathic behavior (Spreng et al., 2009, p. 67).

Example item

“When someone else is feeling excited, I tend to get excited too.”

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlways

Illustrative only. During administration items are presented one screen-set at a time; response-key direction is never shown to respondents.

Scoring & interpretation

Your report explains each of your scale scores in plain language.

Related measures

Common questions

How many items are on the TEQ?

16 items; eight are reverse-scored and responses are summed to a total empathy score (Spreng et al., 2009).

What does a higher score mean?

Higher totals indicate greater self-reported empathy on the broad dimension the TEQ was designed to measure (Spreng et al., 2009).

Is the TEQ multi-factor?

No. Spreng et al. (2009) developed it to tap a singular, broad empathy dimension common across narrower empathy concepts.

What reliability is published?

References

Spreng, R. N., McKinnon, M. C., Mar, R. A., & Levine, B. (2009). The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire: Scale development and initial validation of a factor-analytic solution to multiple empathy measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(1), 62–71.

Sample report preview

The report shows your total score and where it falls across the range of possible scores, followed by a plain-language explanation of what scores in that region describe. Where the instrument has published interpretive bands, the report names the band and what it means. It closes with notes on how to read the result and on when a conversation with a qualified professional may be useful.

Report contents
Section	What it shows
Score	Your scale score, computed with the published scoring key.
Comparisons	How your scores compare with a published comparison group.

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