Factor structure and measurement invariance of social dominance orientation scale-short form (SDO 7(S)) in India

To measure individuals' generalized approach to group inequality, social dominance orientation (SDO) scale (i.e., SDO7; with two correlated dimensions of dominance and anti-egalitarianism) has been developed. However, its measurement invariance has not been tested yet, nor has it been extensively used in developing countries. Therefore, in the present study, we studied the factor structure of the eight-item SDO7 scale-short form in India and tested its measurement invariance across groups on a sample of 734 college students (age, M = 20.3 years, SD = 3.48). The results show that, after controlling for the acquiescence response style and wording (method) biases, the theoretically consistent two-factor model was a better fit than the one-factor model. This best-fit model was strongly invariant across caste and gender and partially strongly invariant across religion. Moreover, consistent with social realities, Hindu, men, and higher caste (among Muslim) had higher SDO. Thus, the present study supports the cross cultural validity of SDO and partially establishes a reliable and valid Hindi version of SDO7 scale-short form.