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Assessment of Citizens’ Populist Orientations: Development and Validation of the POPulist ORientation (POPOR) Scale
Author(s) -
Roccato Michele,
Corbetta Piergiorgio,
Cavazza Nicoletta,
Colloca Pasquale
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/ssqu.12704
Subject(s) - operationalization , confirmatory factor analysis , scale (ratio) , social psychology , psychology , construct (python library) , ideology , politics , population , residence , construct validity , positive economics , structural equation modeling , sociology , political science , psychometrics , statistics , developmental psychology , economics , epistemology , law , mathematics , demography , geography , philosophy , cartography , computer science , programming language
Objectives We developed and validated the POPulist ORientation (POPOR) Scale (composed of six five‐category items), operationalizing populist orientation as a unidimensional construct composed of six facets: (1) anti‐economic, financial, and intellectual establishment attitude; (2) anti‐political establishment; (3) conception of the people as a homogeneous and virtuous entity; (4) consideration of the people as legitimated to take part directly in political decision‐making processes; (5) need for a strong leader; and (6) loss of relevance of the traditional ideologies. To prevent response bias, we gave the POPOR Scale a forced‐choice format and a balanced structure. Method We surveyed a quota sample of 1,348 Italians extracted from the general population and analyzed the structure of the scale and its convergent validity via confirmatory factor analysis. Results The POPOR Scale showed a unidimensional structure and a good convergent validity. Supplemental analyses showed its structural invariance across gender, age, education, and area of residence.