Demographic influences on disgust: Evidence from a heterogeneous sample

In this study we examined the construct and external validity of the Disgust Scale Revised (Olatunji, Williams, et al., 2007), in a large heterogeneous sample (N = 1427). In addition, we investigated the role of demographic variables on disgust’s sensitivity. The findings reveal that the DS_R adheres to the three-factor structure (i.e., Core disgust, Animal-Reminder Disgust, and Contamination-Based Disgust), signifying the validity of the DS_R in a heterogeneous sample. Moreover, gender was found to have a large effect on DS_R score, while the effects of other demographic variables, such as religion, political view, education and age, were exceptionally modest. These results indicate that demographic variables, excluding gender, do not directly influence disgust’s sensitivity. Rather, these variables mainly modulate the context in which disgust is elicited. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.