Purchase Intention Semantic Differentials

What it measures

Five bipolar semantic differentials measuring consumers' behavioural inclination to try, seek out, and consider purchasing a specific product or brand. Sierra, Hyman, and Torres (2009) developed the scale by drawing items from Holmes and Crocker (1987) and MacKenzie, Lutz, and Belch (1986), and reported evidence of convergent and discriminant validities, unidimensionality, and internal consistency. Zúñiga (2016) deployed the scale in an experiment on ethnicity-primed advertising with African-American consumers, reporting α=.96.

Response format

7-point semantic differential

Scale items

• Would not try / Would try
• Would not seek out / Would seek out
• Not very likely / Very likely
• Improbable / Probable
• Would not consider / Would consider

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Alpha was .96 (Zúñiga 2016). Original alphas from Sierra et al. (2009) were .90. Each item is a bipolar pair on a 7-point semantic differential with no central verbal label. The scale captures both likelihood and consideration components of purchase intention.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Sierra, J.J., Hyman, M.R., & Torres, I.M. (2009). Using a model's apparent ethnicity to influence viewer responses to print ads: A social identity theory perspective. Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 31(2), 41–66.

Keywords