Scale Overview
The Money Ethic Scale – MES was developed by Thomas Li-Ping Tang (1990). It is designed to measure Attitudes toward money. The scale is intended for use with Adults / Employees.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 30 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Good, Evil, Achievement, Respect/Self-esteem, Budget, Freedom/Power.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Good |
1,2,6,11,13,17,22,28 |
8 |
| Evil |
3,4,8,12,14,23 |
6 |
| Achievement |
5,7 |
2 |
| Respect/Self-esteem |
10,15,18 |
3 |
| Budget |
16,24,25,26,27,29,30 |
7 |
| Freedom/Power |
9,19,20,21 |
4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Disagree strongly, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Disagree slightly, 4 = Neutral, 5 = Agree slightly, 6 = Agree, 7 = 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 30 to 210. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low endorsement of the money ethic: 30 – 90
- Moderate endorsement of the money ethic: 91 – 150
- High endorsement of the money ethic: 151 – 210
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha: Good (0.81), Evil (0.69), Achievement (0.70), Respect/Self-esteem (0.68), Budget (0.72), Freedom/Power (0.71).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.