A Time Attitude Scale for Cross Cultural Research

Abstract

The paper describes the development and testing of a questionnaire instrument designed to assess the attitudes of individuals towards time. Five constructs are identified from the literature: past, present and future orientations, time pressure (or time as duration) and planning (time as succession). Scale items were developed and tested in four countries: the UK, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Chile. In the last three mentioned countries, the questionnaire was translated into the home language from English using the back translation method. In total, 2,155 respondents completed the instrument. The scale is tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha both as a whole and in its five constituent parts for each country. Convergent validity was tested using Structural Equation Modelling. Past and future orientations, and time pressure emerge as relatively well-defined constructs, reflecting their emphasis in the literature on time attitudes generally. The results are discussed in the context of cross-cultural research and in the context of a growing debate about the use of Cronbach Alpha as an absolute indicator for scale development.