Empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese population
Abstract Background and objective Recent developments in Europe and Portugal provide a fertile ground for the rise of populism. Despite the growing interest in the topic, there is no reliable tool to gauge Portuguese citizens’ populist attitudes to date. The Populist Attitudes Scale (POP-AS), develo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01118-1 |
| _version_ | 1797853514051878912 |
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| author | Filipe Falcão Carlos Jalali Patrício Costa |
| author_facet | Filipe Falcão Carlos Jalali Patrício Costa |
| author_sort | Filipe Falcão |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background and objective Recent developments in Europe and Portugal provide a fertile ground for the rise of populism. Despite the growing interest in the topic, there is no reliable tool to gauge Portuguese citizens’ populist attitudes to date. The Populist Attitudes Scale (POP-AS), developed by Akkerman et al. [1], is one of the best-known instruments for measuring populist attitudes. However, no version for use in the Portuguese population is available. This paper describes the psychometric validation of the POP-AS for the Portuguese population. Methods Trustworthy measures of validity suggested by Boateng et al. [2] to address the psychometric features of the POP-AS were approached. A robust psychometrical pipeline evaluated the reliability, construct validity, cross national/educational validity, and internal validity of the POP-AS. Results The Portuguese version of the POP-AS exhibited sound internal consistency and demonstrated adequate properties of validity: a one-factor model was obtained, revealing evidence of construct validity; invariance was ensured for education and partially ensured for the country; All the items of the POP-AS revealed relatively good values of discrimination and contributed adequately to the total score of the scale, ensuring evidence of internal validity. Conclusion Psychometric analysis supports the POP-AS as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring populist attitudes among Portuguese citizens. A validation framework for measurement instruments in political science was proposed. Implications of the findings are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:50:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-587f36a03c9b46b486f86bb362359202 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:50:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-587f36a03c9b46b486f86bb3623592022023-04-03T05:45:00ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832023-03-0111111310.1186/s40359-023-01118-1Empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese populationFilipe Falcão0Carlos Jalali1Patrício Costa2Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoResearch Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies, Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences, University of AveiroLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoAbstract Background and objective Recent developments in Europe and Portugal provide a fertile ground for the rise of populism. Despite the growing interest in the topic, there is no reliable tool to gauge Portuguese citizens’ populist attitudes to date. The Populist Attitudes Scale (POP-AS), developed by Akkerman et al. [1], is one of the best-known instruments for measuring populist attitudes. However, no version for use in the Portuguese population is available. This paper describes the psychometric validation of the POP-AS for the Portuguese population. Methods Trustworthy measures of validity suggested by Boateng et al. [2] to address the psychometric features of the POP-AS were approached. A robust psychometrical pipeline evaluated the reliability, construct validity, cross national/educational validity, and internal validity of the POP-AS. Results The Portuguese version of the POP-AS exhibited sound internal consistency and demonstrated adequate properties of validity: a one-factor model was obtained, revealing evidence of construct validity; invariance was ensured for education and partially ensured for the country; All the items of the POP-AS revealed relatively good values of discrimination and contributed adequately to the total score of the scale, ensuring evidence of internal validity. Conclusion Psychometric analysis supports the POP-AS as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring populist attitudes among Portuguese citizens. A validation framework for measurement instruments in political science was proposed. Implications of the findings are discussed.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01118-1PopulismVoter attitudesMeasuring populismPersonalisation of politicsPsychometrics |
| spellingShingle | Filipe Falcão Carlos Jalali Patrício Costa Empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese population BMC Psychology Populism Voter attitudes Measuring populism Personalisation of politics Psychometrics |
| title | Empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese population |
| title_full | Empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese population |
| title_fullStr | Empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese population |
| title_short | Empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese population |
| title_sort | empirical validation study and psychometric evaluation of the properties of the populist attitudes scale for the portuguese population |
| topic | Populism Voter attitudes Measuring populism Personalisation of politics Psychometrics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01118-1 |
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