MONEY ATTITUDE AND CRIME INTENTION SCALE DEVELOPMENT: FACTORIAL AND CONFIRMATORY ANALYSIS

Abstract

Individual’s perception of money has been recognized as an important concern that affects their behavior andwellbeing, thus understanding how individual’s appraisal of money is important. The objective of this study is to develop an instrument to measure Malaysian’s money attitude and crime intentions. Using Structural Equation Modelling and SPSS, empirical evidence for a sample of 175 students from a prominent university was tested. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using principal axis factoring to determine the factor structure. The analysis revealed a six-factors structure of money attitude comprises of “richmotivation, achievement, respect, budget, donate and makemoney” that account for 70.82% of variances. All items showed strong factor loadings and high internal consistency within constructs. While the crime intention construct has a three-factor structure, namely; “falsifying, bribery and stealing” that account of 75.09% variances. Through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), this study shows an acceptable model fits and recommends the feasibility of applying these constructs in tandem with the underlying theory. The scale has brought applications for research and practice as it serves as a tool for capturing perspectives on “money attitudes” and “crime intention” among Malaysians.Keywords: money attitude, crime intention, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)