Scale Overview
The Olsen’s Political Participation Scale – PPS was developed by Marvin E. Olsen (1969). It is designed to measure Political Participation. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Political Participation, Preference for Violence.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Political Participation |
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,20 |
18 |
| Preference for Violence |
18,19 |
2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Undecided, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree.
The scale includes 8 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 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Political Participation / Engagement: 20 – 46
- Moderate Political Participation / Engagement: 47 – 73
- High Political Participation / Engagement: 74 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
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.