1- Barefoot only when bathing and changing clothes, even sleeps with socks on.
2- Sleeps barefoot, but keeps slippers by the bed. Otherwise the same as Level 1.
3- May not keep them by the bed, but does own a pair of "house shoes". May be briefly barefoot in the morning while preparing for the day and in the evening while preparing for bed. Does not leave the house barefoot.
4- Does not own slippers. Amount of time spent barefoot around the house varies. Still does not leave the house barefoot.
5- Barefoot indoors on their own property. This may include cars, boats, and other vehicles as well as their home. May also be barefoot at relative's or very close friend's. Still shod outdoors.
6- Will make short barefoot trips out of the house, to check the mail or similar.
7- Does not wear shoes at home, inside or out. Wears or takes shoes when leaving to go somewhere public. Puts on shoes at destination.
8- Goes barefoot in public places where it is not generally considered normal to do so, but has shoes close at hand and wears them if requested.
9- Owns shoes, but only wears them when required for work, severe weather, or when there is clear and present danger or undue discomfort to bare feet.
10- Does not own shoes of any sort.
It should be noted here that this scale is not an attempt to rank people according to who is more of a barefooter. It is impossible for a single scale to do that, there are too many variables. For instance, I spend at least 95% of my waking hours barefoot, wearing shoes less than 2-3 hours a week. That means I spend much more time barefoot than a cubicle-dweller who is required to wear shoes at least 40 hours per week at work. However, most of my time is spent sitting behind the wheel while driving down the highway. If said cubicle-dweller spends his weekends hiking and rock climbing he will quite likely have tougher soles than me. Who, then, is "more" of a barefooter?
This scale also does not account for "desire". There are many barefooters who would gladly throw their shoes in the trash and live their lives barefoot, but they are required by work to wear shoes at least part of the time. Many barefooters also live in climates that simply do not allow them to be unshod year-round. It is only a lucky few, very few, who live in barefoot-friendly climates and have barefoot-friendly jobs.
