Empathy Quotient (EQ)
Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright’s 2004 self-report measure. Widely used in autism research and clinical psychology.
Source: Baron-Cohen, S., & Wheelwright, S. (2004). The Empathy Quotient: An investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34(2), 163-175. doi:10.1023/B:JADD.0000022607.19833.00.
What the EQ is
The Empathy Quotient is a 60-item self-report questionnaire, of which 40 items are scored (the other 20 are fillers to reduce response bias). Each scored item is endorsed on a 4-point scale and contributes 0, 1, or 2 points, giving a possible 0-80 total. The scale was designed both to measure the general population and to identify reduced empathy in adults with autism spectrum conditions.
Baron-Cohen reports a mean of approximately 42 in the general adult population, with women scoring on average about 4 points higher than men. Adults with autism spectrum conditions in the original validation sample scored a mean of approximately 20, around two standard deviations below the typical mean.
Caveats on the autism findings
The headline EQ finding (lower scores among autistic adults) is widely cited but should be interpreted with care. Subsequent research has shown that the EQ items confound cognitive empathy (perspective-taking) and affective empathy (felt resonance). Autistic adults often show differences on cognitive empathy items, but affective empathy is frequently preserved or even elevated.
This is part of the basis for the “double empathy problem” literature (Milton 2012), which reframes apparent empathy deficits as bidirectional difficulties in cross-neurotype communication rather than a unilateral autistic deficit. See our autism and empathy page.
How the EQ compares to other measures
| Measure | Items | Structure | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| EQ | 40 scored | Single total score (though factor analyses suggest 2-3 sub-factors) | Clinical screening, autism research |
| IRI | 28 | Four scored subscales | Research distinguishing EC vs PD |
| QCAE | 31 | Two clean factors: cognitive and affective | When you specifically want to isolate cognitive vs affective empathy |
Factor structure debate
The EQ was originally designed as a unidimensional scale, but subsequent factor analyses have generally found two or three sub-factors, often interpreted as cognitive empathy, emotional reactivity, and social skills. See for example Lawrence et al. 2004, Psychological Medicine, doi:10.1017/S0033291703001624.
For research that explicitly wants to separate cognitive and affective empathy, the QCAE may be a cleaner instrument. For brief clinical or screening use where a single empathy total score is acceptable, the EQ remains the most common choice.