The Symbolic Racism Scale and the Modern Sexism Scale: Testing measurement invariance in diverse samples

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Social Psychology
• Measurement Invariance

Background:

• Previous studies lacked rigorous psychometric evaluation of the Symbolic Racism Scale (SRS) and Modern Sexism Scale (MSS) across diverse demographics.
• Ensuring measurement invariance is crucial for valid cross-group comparisons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the measurement invariance of the SRS and MSS across racial/ethnic and gender groups.
• To address statistical inadequacies in prior psychometric assessments of these scales.

Main Methods:

• A measurement invariance analysis was conducted on the SRS and MSS.
• The study utilized a large, diverse sample (N = 719) comprising Black, Latinx, and white participants, as well as men and women.

Main Results:

• Both the SRS and MSS demonstrated measurement invariance across gender.
• The SRS was found to be invariant across racial/ethnic groups.
• The MSS exhibited noninvariance across racial/ethnic groups, specifically on an item concerning perceived government and media attention to women's issues.

Conclusions:

• The SRS is psychometrically sound for use across gender and racial/ethnic groups.
• A specific item on the MSS requires reevaluation and potential modification for use with Black and Latinx populations.
• Findings highlight the necessity of assessing scale validity across diverse populations.