Modern Racism Scale (McConahay)
Psychology: Values & BeliefsReliability: alpha 0.743 sample items
About this scale
A 7-item measure of modern racism — covert, subtle expressions of racial prejudice that contrast with explicit old-fashioned racism.
Sample item(s)
“Discrimination against blacks is no longer a problem”
“Over the past few years blacks have got more economically than they deserve”
“It is easy to understand the anger of black people in America (reverse)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.74. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Foundational subtle-prejudice measure.
Source & citation
McConahay, J. B. (1986): Modern racism, ambivalence, and the modern racism scale. In J. F. Dovidio & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, discrimination, and racism (pp. 91–125). Academic Press.
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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