Symbolic Racism 2000 Scale – SR2000
Measures symbolic racism, a belief system combining the ideas that racial discrimination is no longer a major obstacle, disadvantages are due to lack of effort, and demands for special attention are unjustified.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Symbolic Racism 2000 Scale – SR2000 was developed by P. J. Henry & David O. Sears (2002). It is designed to measure Symbolic Racism. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 8 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Work Ethic and Responsibility, Excessive Demands, Denial of Continuing Discrimination, Undeserved Advantage.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Work Ethic and Responsibility | 1,2 | 2 |
| Excessive Demands | 3,4 | 2 |
| Denial of Continuing Discrimination | 5,6 | 2 |
| Undeserved Advantage | 7,8 | 2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree / Not much at all / Going too slowly, 2 = Somewhat disagree / Some / Moving at about the right speed, 3 = Somewhat agree / Most / Trying to push very much too fast, 4 = Strongly agree / All of it.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Item scores are averaged to produce a mean score.
Total scores range from 8 to 31. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Symbolic Racism: 8 – 13
- Moderate-Low Symbolic Racism: 14 – 19
- Moderate-High Symbolic Racism: 20 – 25
- High Symbolic Racism: 26 – 31
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency and predictive validity.
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.