TEQ
Toronto Empathy Questionnaire
Validated by Spreng et al. (2009) · View paper
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Jaye Turrietta, PsyD, BCBA-D, AEP
A 16-item self-report measure of empathy.
For each statement, select how often the described experience applies to you. Answer based on how you generally are.
16 statements · ~3 min · Auto-saved
About the TEQ
The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire was developed by Spreng, McKinnon, Mar, and Levine (2009) to measure emotional empathy — the ability to understand and respond to others’ emotional states. Unlike the EQ, which blends cognitive and affective empathy, the TEQ focuses specifically on the emotional component.
16 items on a 5-point frequency scale (Never to Always). 8 items are reverse-scored. Designed for adults (16+). Takes 5–7 minutes.
Scoring
Each item scores 0–4; reverse items are inverted. The range is 0–64. A score of 45 or above indicates higher-than-average empathy. Non-autistic males typically score 43–44; non-autistic females typically score 45–49.
Validity
The TEQ demonstrates strong validity, correlating positively with social skills and other self-report empathy measures, and negatively with measures of autism symptomatology across three validation studies.
Important: This measures self-reported empathy, not empathic capacity. Autistic individuals may experience and express empathy differently. A lower score is not a diagnosis and does not mean a person lacks empathy.
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.
