Construction and Factorial Structure of a Short Version of the Trendsetting Questionnaire (TDS-K)

Abstract

This paper reports the development of a short version of the trendsetting questionnaire (TDS; Batinic, Haupt, & Wieselhuber, 2006 ). According to Batinic et al., individuals high on trendsetting keep an eye open for new trends and have a broad interest in innovations. They inform a wide range of others and explain to them the value of innovations, and they recommend specific products to friends and acquaintances. Empirical criteria as well as substantive criteria were used to select nine items representing the three subtypes of the trendsetting model: input, throughput, and output. Dimensionality and measurement invariance of the short version (TDS-K) were examined in two offline surveys (N = 2,001 and 948) and two online surveys (N = 4,450 and 12,087). Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses supported the unidimensionality of the measure and showed that measurement invariance held within each of the administration methods (offline vs. online survey), but only partial invariance held across these methods.