Succession, Identity, and Consumption Scale of Prescriptive Ageism – SIC
Measures prescriptive ageist beliefs regarding how older people should behave and yield resources across three dimensions: Succession, Identity, and Consumption.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Succession, Identity, and Consumption Scale of Prescriptive Ageism – SIC was developed by Michael S. North & Susan T. Fiske (2013). It is designed to measure Prescriptive Ageism. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Consumption, Succession, Identity.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Consumption | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | 7 |
| Succession | 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15 | 8 |
| Identity | 16,17,18,19,20 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Disagree strongly, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Disagree slightly, 4 = Agree slightly, 5 = Agree, 6 = Agree strongly.
The scale includes 1 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 20 to 120. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low prescriptive ageism: 20 – 53
- Moderate prescriptive ageism: 54 – 86
- High prescriptive ageism: 87 – 120
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Total scale alpha: .90 – .91; Succession: .84 – .85; Identity: .83 – .87; Consumption: .75 – .86.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.