Psychometric Validation of the Revised Family Affluence Scale: a Latent Variable Approach

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Psychometrics
• Cross-cultural Research

Background:

• The Family Affluence Scale (FAS) is a widely used measure of socioeconomic status.
• Previous versions may have been too lengthy for certain research contexts.
• A need exists for a concise and validated FAS for international studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a brief, revised version of the Family Affluence Scale.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the revised scale across diverse national contexts.
• To identify a minimal set of indicators reliably measuring family affluence.

Main Methods:

• Item screening and dimensionality testing of 16 potential affluence indicators from 7120 students across eight European countries.
• Bifactor analysis to identify underlying structure.
• Samejima's graded response model and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis by country.

Main Results:

• A six-item scale was developed, including: number of computers, number of cars, own bedroom, holidays abroad, dishwasher, and bathroom.
• Bifactor analysis confirmed a strong general affluence factor.
• Three items demonstrated cross-country invariance, establishing a common metric.

Conclusions:

• The six-item revised Family Affluence Scale is a psychometrically sound and brief measure.
• The scale shows cross-cultural validity and correlates with income.
• This revised scale is suitable for international research requiring a concise measure of family affluence.