Belief-aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA)

Abstract

The Belief-aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA; Cervone et al., 2023) is a 9-item inventory designed to measure collective action, specifically distinguishing active engagement in collective action from an individual’s ideological stance on a particular issue. This instrument was developed through two comprehensive studies, addressing the limitations of prior collective action assessments that struggled to differentiate inactive participants from those who held opposing views on the investigated cause. The initial development involved generating twelve items based on an extensive review of existing literature on collective action and activism measures. The BCA was subsequently administered to adult populations in both Italy and the United Kingdom. Through rigorous exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a robust two-factor solution emerged, retaining 9 key items. The scale’s internal consistency and construct validity have been thoroughly reported, demonstrating its reliability and accuracy in assessing belief-aligned collective action.

Keywords

Collective Action; Activism; Social Issues; Normative Action; Non-Normative Action

Authors

Carmen Cervone, Caterina Suitner, Luciana Carraro, Anne Maass

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA) is to comprehensively assess collective action, with a specific emphasis on differentiating active engagement in collective action from an individual’s ideological alignment with a particular issue. This measure aims to overcome the limitations of previous assessments that conflated these distinct aspects, providing a more nuanced understanding of individuals’ participation in collective endeavors.

Validity

Construct Validity: The Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA) demonstrates strong construct validity, indicating that it effectively measures the intended theoretical constructs. The willingness to engage in both Normative and Non-normative actions, as assessed by the BCA, showed reliable positive correlations with the perceived efficacy of these actions and individuals’ past engagement in similar activities. Specifically, correlation coefficients ranged from .37 to .62 in the Italian sample and from .48 to .61 in the UK sample. Furthermore, the BCA exhibited positive correlations with individuals’ propensity for seeking information and their perceived participative efficacy. Conversely, it showed a negative correlation with the Economic System Justification (ESJ) scale (Jost & Thompson, 2000; Caricati, 2008), suggesting that individuals who are more aligned with collective action are less likely to justify the existing economic system.

Across both samples (Italy and the UK), a consistent negative correlation was observed between political orientation and collective action, while the extremity of an individual’s stance on an issue showed a positive correlation with collective action. This indicates that individuals with more extreme views are more likely to engage in collective action. Emotional factors also played a significant role; anger was identified as the strongest predictor of Normative actions in both samples. Additionally, a stronger feeling of contempt among participants correlated with a greater willingness to engage in Non-normative actions. For individuals taking a stance against economic inequality, social dominance orientation and support for inequality consistently showed negative correlations with the BCA, further supporting the scale’s construct validity in assessing belief-aligned collective action.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The internal consistency of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA) has been thoroughly evaluated through both exploratory and confirmatory analyses, demonstrating optimal to adequate reliability across its factors and the full scale.

• Exploratory Factor Analysis Results:

  • Normative Actions: The reliability for Normative actions was optimal, with Cronbach’s alpha (α) values of .83 in the Italian sample and .87 in the UK sample.

  • Full Scale: The reliability for the full scale was also optimal, showing α values of .82 in the Italian sample and .88 in the UK sample.

  • Non-normative Actions: For Non-normative actions, the reliability was adequate in the Italian sample (α = .76) and optimal in the UK sample (α = .82).

• Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results:

  • Both Cronbach’s alpha (α) and McDonald’s omega (ω) total values were optimal for all factors and the full scale.

  • Normative Actions: α = .89, ω = .89

  • Non-normative Actions: α = .84, ω = .84

  • Full Scale: α = .87, ω = .87

These results collectively indicate a high degree of internal consistency for the BCA, suggesting that its items reliably measure their respective constructs and the overall concept of collective action.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): The EFA identified a two-factor structure for the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) initially identified three factors with eigenvalues greater than 1 in the Italian sample. However, an examination of the scree-plot strongly evidenced only two relevant factors. For the UK sample, both eigenvalues and the scree-plot consistently indicated a two-factor solution. This exploratory analysis provided initial support for a two-dimensional structure underlying the scale.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): The CFA further validated the two-factor structure identified by the EFA. The results indicated an adequate fit of this two-factor model to the observed data, with the following fit indices:

• Comparative Fit Index (CFI): .99

• Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI): .99

• Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA): .05

• Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR): .02

These fit indices suggest that the two-factor model provides an excellent representation of the relationships among the scale’s items, confirming the theoretical distinction between the identified factors.

Instrument: Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA)

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: Participants indicate the likelihood of engaging in 12 actions related to the BCA to support their stance. Responses are given on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 = “surely not” to 7 = “surely.”

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older)

Population Details: The measure was administered to adult samples in Italy and the United Kingdom.

Test Methodology: The development and validation of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale involved a rigorous psychometric methodology including:

• Test Validity

• Construct Validity

• Test Reliability

• Internal Consistency Analysis

• Factor Analysis (Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis)

• Principal Component Analysis

Keywords

Collective Action; Activism; Social Issues; Normative Action; Non-Normative Action

Authors

Carmen Cervone

• Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0057-0356

• Affiliation: University of Padova, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation

• Email Address: [email protected]

• Correspondence Address: Università di Padova, Dipartimento di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e della Socializzazione, Via Venezia 8, Padova, Italy, 35131, [email protected]

Caterina Suitner

• Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5211-100X

• Affiliation: University of Padova, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation

• Email Address: No data is Available

Luciana Carraro

• Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8100-4609

• Affiliation: University of Padova, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation

• Email Address: No data is Available

Anne Maass

• Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9802-5246

• Affiliation: University of Padova, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation

• Email Address: No data is Available

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching
Commercial: No
Fee: No
Test Year: 2023

References

Cervone, C., Suitner, C., Carraro, L., & Maass, A. (2024). An impartial measure of collective action: Development and validation of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 40(3), 258–268. doi:10.1027/1015-5759/a000762

Items of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA)

The Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA) consists of 9 items, which are categorized into two distinct factors: Normative actions and Non-normative actions. While the specific wording of each of the 9 items is not provided in the supplied text, the overall structure of the scale is that participants indicate the likelihood of engaging in specific actions to support their stance on an issue. The full set of test items are available, as indicated by “Test Items Available: Yes” and their location is mentioned as “2023-63001-001, Table 1, Page 3”.

Factors and Subscales:

• Normative actions

• Non-normative actions

Belief-aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA)

Items

Normative Activism

1. I would sign a petition in favor of my position.

2. I would attend a rally, a march, or a protest to assert my position.

3. I would write to institutions and newspapers to bring forward my position.

4. I would collaborate in organizing an event to promote my position.

5. I would hand out flyers that promote my position.

6. I would display posters or banners (e.g., on my balcony or front door) to assert my position.*

Non-normative Activism

1. I would carry out an illegal act as part of a protest in favor of my position.

2. I would block access to a building or public area with my body to defend my position.

3. I would squat on a building to assert my position.

Note: *This item did not load significantly on the factor. Items are rated on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 = surely not to 7 = surely.