Empathy Quotient (EQ)
Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright’s 2004 self-report measure. Widely used in autism research and clinical psychology.
What is the Empathy Quotient?
The Empathy Quotient (EQ) is a self-report empathy measure developed by Simon Baron-Cohen and Sally Wheelwright in 2004. It contains 60 items, of which 40 are scored on a 0-80 total, and was designed both to measure empathy in the general population and to identify reduced empathy in adults with autism spectrum conditions.
40
scored items
0-80
score range
~42
general-pop mean
2004
Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Empathy Quotient (EQ)?
The Empathy Quotient is a self-report empathy measure developed by Simon Baron-Cohen and Sally Wheelwright in 2004. It has 60 items, of which 40 are scored (the other 20 are fillers to reduce response bias), and was designed both to measure empathy in the general population and to identify reduced empathy in adults with autism spectrum conditions.
How is the Empathy Quotient scored?
Each of the 40 scored items is endorsed on a 4-point scale and contributes 0, 1, or 2 points, giving a possible total of 0 to 80. Baron-Cohen reports a mean of approximately 42 in the general adult population, with women scoring on average about 4 points higher than men.
Why is it called the 40-item Empathy Quotient if it has 60 questions?
The full questionnaire contains 60 items, but only 40 of them count toward the empathy score. The remaining 20 are filler items included to disguise the focus of the test and reduce response bias, so the EQ is described both as a 60-item questionnaire and as a 40-item scale depending on whether you count fillers.
What EQ score is typical for adults with autism?
In Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright's original validation sample, adults with autism spectrum conditions scored a mean of approximately 20, around two standard deviations below the typical adult mean of about 42. This headline finding is widely cited but should be interpreted with care, because the EQ items confound cognitive and affective empathy and affective empathy is frequently preserved in autistic adults.