Testing the critical waters: replication, further refinement and validation of the Critical Social Justice Attitudes scale

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: The present study set out to refine and further validate a scale for assessing critical social justice attitudes as well as replicate results from a previous study. This study assessed the reliability, factor structure, model fit, and both convergent and divergent validity of the scale. The study examined the prevalence of critical social justice attitudes in different subpopulations and probed the scale’s correlations with well-being and other variables. Methods: Participants were a nationwide sample (n = 5030) of people aged 15-84. 5 new candidate items for the scale were introduced and after analyses, 4 were included in the final version of the critical social justice attitudes scale (CSJAS; 11 items). Results: The final CSJAS scale had high reliability and good model fit as well as convergent and divergent validity. Overall, the study sample rejected critical social justice propositions, with strong rejection from men but cautious support from women (gender difference: d = 1.16). CSJAS was correlated with depression, anxiety, and (lack of) happiness, but not more so than being politically left was. Conclusions: The Critical Social Justice Attitude Scale was successfully constructed and validated. It had good reliability and model fit.