Xenophobia: scale development and validation

This study reports the development and validation of a scale to measure xenophobia. The authors were particularly interested in the characterisation of this phenomenon in African nations. Two studies were conducted to explore and confirm the factor structure of the xenophobia scale and ascertain its validity and reliability. In study I, exploratory factor analysis produced a two-factor structure for the xenophobia scale labelled ingroup centredness and ingroup exclusivity. Study II confirmed the two-factor structure that emerged in study I and also established the convergent validity and internal consistency of the scale. Findings in this study suggest xenophobia captures two aspects that border on attitude towards ingroup and attitude towards outgroups. In addition, findings revealed that positive ingroup attitude may not necessarily translate into negative outgroup attitude.