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General Belief in a Just World Scale (GBJW)

Psychology: Values & BeliefsReliability: alpha 0.803 sample items

About this scale

A 7-item measure of the belief that the world is a fair place where people generally get what they deserve. Predicts attribution patterns, blame, and acceptance of inequity.

Sample item(s)

“I feel that people get what they are entitled to have”
“I feel that people earn the rewards and punishments they get”
“I feel that the world treats people fairly”

Reliability

Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.80. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.

Notes

Free for academic use; companion Personal-Belief-in-a-Just-World scale.

Source & citation

Dalbert, C. (1999): The world is more just for me than generally: About the Personal Belief in a Just World Scale's validity. Social Justice Research, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 79–98.

Dalbert (1999): GBJW + PBJW. SJR, 12(2), 79–98.

Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.

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