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Confidence in the Socio-Political System

CSPSSystem Justification / Socio-Political Confidence
8 items 2003 α 0.75–0.87 Free Kay, A.C., & Jost, J.T.

What it measures

An eight-item scale measuring the degree to which a person believes their country's socio-political system is fair, functional, and worthy of confidence. Items assess beliefs about societal fairness, political system performance, national pride, policy equity, and the perceived relationship between effort and outcomes in society. Two items are reverse-scored. The scale captures the system justification motive — the tendency to defend and legitimise existing social arrangements — and has been applied in consumer research examining how this motive shapes product preference and compensatory consumption.

Representative items

Citation

Kay, Aaron C. and John T. Jost (2003). Complementary justice: Effects of 'poor but happy' and 'poor but honest' stereotypes on system justification and implicit activation of the justice motive. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(5), 823–837.

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