Workplace Schadenfreude
HR & WorkReliability: alpha 0.853 sample items
About this scale
A multi-item measure of schadenfreude — pleasure derived from coworkers' misfortunes at work. Linked to envy and competitive climates.
Sample item(s)
“I sometimes feel pleased when a coworker fails”
“When a coworker is reprimanded, I feel a bit of satisfaction”
“I find it hard not to smile when a colleague struggles”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.85. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Pair with envy and CWB.
Source & citation
Smith, R. H., Powell, C. A. J., Combs, D. J. Y., & Schurtz, D. R. (2009): Exploring the when and why of schadenfreude. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 530–546.
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.
Use it in your research
Need to check the reliability or psychometrics of this scale in your own data? Use the free DrAIStudio research tools:
Cronbach’s alpha calculator
All statistical calculators
Search the full Scale Atlas
Academic writing humanizer