Validation of populist attitudes scales in Slovakia

Abstract

Objectives. Research on populism has progressed over the last decade and several scales have been proposed to measure populist attitudes. None of these has been validated in the context of Slovakia, where populists are a long-term part of both coalition and opposition. This study aimed to verify the psychometric properties of four populist attitudes scales that are frequently used and verified in international research, on a Slovak sample.Participants and setting. Data of 832 respondents collected using an online panel in November 2021 were analyzed using the R software. The research sample was representative according to the distribution of gender, age, education, and regions in Slovakia.Statistical analysis. The original scales were tested using an exploratory dataset (N = 416). The modified scales were verified using a confirmatory dataset (N = 416).Results. The results showed that the original scales did not fit the data. However, after several modifications, the two scales were validated on the Slovak sample. The scales were invariant across the gender, age, and educational groups.Limits. A possible shortcoming of the validated populist attitudes scales is the instability in predicting electoral behavior, which is discussed in connection with the results of other studies, and the Slovak political and cultural context.