Italian Adaptation of the Revised Multicultural Ideology Scale (MCI-r)

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Increasing migration in Italy necessitates promoting harmonious coexistence.
• Multicultural ideology acceptance is key to successful integration.
• The Revised Multicultural Ideology Scale (MCI-r) is a vital tool, but lacks an Italian adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

• Adapt the MCI-r scale for the Italian context.
• Assess the psychometric properties of the adapted MCI-r scale.
• Evaluate the scale's predictive validity on intergroup relations variables.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from two Italian samples (N=301 and N=204).
• Confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance, and validity analyses were employed.
• Predictive validity tested against contact quality with migrants and political orientation.

Main Results:

• The MCI-r scale demonstrated a robust four-factor solution with a higher-order dimension in the Italian context.
• Measurement invariance was supported across samples.
• The scale and its superordinate dimension significantly predicted positive contact with migrants and political orientations.

Conclusions:

• The adapted MCI-r scale is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring multicultural ideology in Italy.
• The scale effectively predicts crucial variables for fostering positive intergroup relations.
• Findings support the scale's utility in research and policy for diverse Italian society.