The Asexuality Identification Scale

The Asexuality Identification Scale (AIS-12) is a self-report questionnaire to assess asexuality. The questionnaire was intended to provide a valid measure independent of whether the individual self-identifies as asexual.^[1]A validated measure of no sexual attraction: the Asexuality Identification Scale (Yule, Brotto, & Gorzalka, 2015)

Take the test here:

Who the test is designed for

• Adults (age 16+) of average to higher intelligence—in particular those who suspect they may be on the asexual spectrum.

What it tests

The AIS-12 was intended to provide a valid measure of asexuality, independent of whether the individual self-identified as asexual. But by extension, it not only measures asexuality, but discerns between asexuality and sexuality.^[2]A validated measure of no sexual attraction: the Asexuality Identification Scale (Yule, Brotto, & Gorzalka, 2015)

In our article Autism & asexuality, we discussed research that showed that while 5.1% of participants in their study self-identified as asexual, 19.2% of participants could be classified as asexual based on their AIS scores.^[3]Beyond the Label: Asexual Identity Among Individuals on the High-Functioning Autism Spectrum (Ronis et al., 2021) So there is independent evidence that the AIS is successfully able to measure asexuality irrespective of how the person self-identifies.

Taking the test

The AIS-12 consists of 12 statements, giving you 5 choices for each statement:

1. Completely False
2. Somewhat False
3. Neither True nor False
4. Somewhat True
5. Completely True

Scoring

• Scoring range: 12–60
• Threshold score: 40↑
• All items are scored 1–5, with higher scores reflecting greater asexuality, and lower scores reflecting greater sexuality.

Scores of 40/60 on the AIS-12 were found to capture 93% of individuals who self-identified as asexual. In other words, 93% of asexual participants scored at or above 40. Conversely, 95% of participants who self-identified as sexual scored below 40.^[4]A validated measure of no sexual attraction: the Asexuality Identification Scale (Yule, Brotto, & Gorzalka, 2015)

Validity

How reliable, accurate, valid, and up-to-date is the test?

First, I want to mention that at least from a layman’s perspective, the paper and its methods to create the AIS-12 strike me as impressively comprehensive, as it went through three stages:

• Stage I: Open-ended questions were presented to the samples to gather data for items to include on the test.
• Stage II: Administration of 111 items (as the AIS-111), with a consequent analysis to ascertain which items to keep and which items to include.
• Stage III: Administration of 37 items (as the AIS-37), followed by a validity analysis was performed on these items with respect to different factor models to get the best fit, and retain only those items (which ended up being 12) that properly discriminate between sexual and asexual samples.

Validity

Four validation techniques were conducted to demonstrate that the AIS-12 items indeed measured the construct of asexuality:^[5]A validated measure of no sexual attraction: the Asexuality Identification Scale (Yule, Brotto, & Gorzalka, 2015)

In the table below from the paper, you can see the correlations of all the constructs described in the four validation techniques above.

Sensitivity

The AIS-12—with a score of 40/60—was found to capture 93% of people who identify as asexual:^[6]A validated measure of no sexual attraction: the Asexuality Identification Scale (Yule, Brotto, & Gorzalka, 2015)

• 93% of asexual participants scored at or above 40 on the AIS-12
• 95% of self-identified sexual participants scored below 40 on the AIS-12.

Discussion

Dr. Engelbrecht ND RP:

I scored 26, which are surprising as I do consider myself ACE. I do not generally have sexual desire, maybe twice per year. I am fine with being sexual with my partner once in a while once I have agreed to being intimate. I prefer intimacy to be a quick experience, and I don’t like my genitals or breasts being touched. I do insist on myself to be intimate in part due to considerations regarding effects on the female genitalia of not being sexual—it is kind of like brushing my teeth.

Eva Silvertant:

I actually found it quite challenging to answer some of these questions. I think I’m a sexual person in principle, but I’m not quick to act on it. For instance, in between relationships, I went without sex for 10 years. Having said that, I don’t consider myself categorically asexual; instead, I go through asexual periods. This is described as abrosexual/ace flux; although I generally identify as demisexual, meaning I don’t experience sexual desire unless I’m emotionally bonded with a person. Read more about these terms and the asexual spectrum in the article below.

Autism & asexuality

Either way, with a score of 26, the AIS-12 confirms that indeed I’m not asexual. I redid the test to see if my ambivalence around some of the test items could lead to different results, but I scored 27 the second time around, which is only 1 point closer to asexuality, but very far below the cut-off score of 40. So I’m satisfied that the test can exclude autistic people like myself who may not have a conventional relationship with sex and sexual attraction, but who are indeed not strictly asexual.

But I’m quite interested in doing the Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI),^[7]The sexual desire inventory: development, factor structure, and evidence of reliability (Spector, Carey, & Steinberg) since the authors of the AIS-12 state that it’s a measure that captures the cognitive (rather than behavioral) aspect of sexual desire.^[8]A validated measure of no sexual attraction: the Asexuality Identification Scale (Yule, Brotto, & Gorzalka, 2015) I’m a bit confused about my cognitive sexual desire, since it doesn’t tend to translate to having sex, and it’s mediated by emotional connection. I’ve never understood why one would go on one-night stands, for instance. Having sex with someone you don’t know and trust seems scary to me. But if you find you genuinely like the person, why wouldn’t you meet again? Sex without emotions is beyond my understanding.

So I guess if there is one complaint I have about the test, is that I wish it would output two subscores; for cognitive sexual desire and behavioral sexual desire. But that’s just to satisfy my curiosity and get more insight into my sexuality. As it stands with the AIS-12 outputting a single score, it’s sufficient to differentiate between asexual and sexual people.

Lastly, I do want to say that I think it’s strange that the test does not take the frequency of sexual activity into consideration. I think I’m a sexual person in principle, but if my cognitive desire for sex rarely translates to sexual activity, am I indeed a sexual person? The test claims to measure asexuality irrespective of how you self-identify; but I’m not sure it measures enough in order to adequately make that assessment.

Asexuality Identification Scale

Please read each statement below and choose the answer that best fits your experience.