Sexual Awareness Questionnaire (SAQ)
12 questions to understand your sexual awareness style — your sensitivity, assertiveness, and focus areas
The Sexual Awareness Questionnaire (SAQ), based on Snell, Fisher & Miller (1991), measures four dimensions of sexual awareness: how attuned you are to your internal sexual feelings (Sexual Consciousness), how sensitive you are to others' evaluations (Sexual Monitoring), how assertive you are in sexual matters (Sexual Assertiveness), and how aware you are of your own sex appeal (Sex-Appeal Consciousness). 12-item short form, takes about 5 minutes.
What is sexual awareness?
"Sexual awareness" is just a fancy way of asking: how much do you notice your own sexual thoughts, feelings, and the signals coming from the world around you?
Some people have a pretty clear sense of what they want, what they don't, and what their body is telling them. Others don't spend much mental energy on this stuff — or they're more focused on "what do other people think" than "what do I think."
The SAQ breaks this into four separate dimensions:
Sexual Consciousness — Do you pay attention to your own sexual feelings and motivations? Or does it not cross your mind much?
Sexual Monitoring — Are you tuned into how other people might be evaluating your sexuality? Kind of like watching yourself from someone else's perspective.
Sexual Assertiveness — Can you make your own calls when it comes to sex? Can you say what you want?
Sex-Appeal Consciousness — Do you have a sense of whether other people find you sexy?
These dimensions are independent. You can be high on one and low on another — high Consciousness but low Assertiveness, or high Monitoring but low Appeal-Consciousness. There's no single "right" profile.
How reliable is it?
The SAQ was published in 1991. Internal consistency across the four dimensions ranges from .80 to .91 in student samples, with two-week test-retest reliability of r = .79-.87. It's not a diagnostic tool — just a lens for self-reflection.
Who is this for?
Adults (18+) curious about their own sexual psychology.
⚠️ Disclaimer
The SAQ is a research questionnaire, not a clinical diagnostic instrument. Results are for informational and self-reflective purposes only. If you have concerns about your sexual health, please consult a qualified professional.
Scoring Guide
Mean score per dimension (0-4). Sexual Consciousness (items 1,4,6): awareness of internal sexual feelings. Sexual Monitoring (items 2,5,7): sensitivity to others' evaluation. Sexual Assertiveness (items 3,9,10): autonomy in sexual matters. Sex-Appeal Consciousness (items 8,11R,12): awareness of one's own sex appeal. Item 11 reverse-scored. 0-1=Low, 1-2.5=Moderate, 2.5-4=High.Result Interpretation
After completing the 12 questions, you'll receive an immediate, detailed report with:
- Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
- Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
- Dimension breakdown — separate scores for each sub-scale
- Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available
All results are displayed on screen. No account or login needed.