Short Scale Measurement of Legal Cynicism

Abstract

Legal cynicism is a key concept in criminology and related social sciences, yet existing measurement instruments are often lengthy or capture only limited aspects of the construct. Building on the current state of theoretical work, which conceptualizes legal cynicism as a multidimensional construct, this study proposes and evaluates two short scales with nine and six items, respectively. Using data from a survey of adolescents and young adults in Germany, confirmatory factor analyses supported a three-factor structure representing legal antipathy, legal corruption, and legal legitimacy for both versions. Measurement invariance across gender and educational groups was largely supported. Both short scales showed acceptable reliability and theoretically consistent associations with personal values, institutional trust, and attitudes toward intimate partner violence, providing support for construct validity. Overall, the proposed short scales offer parsimonious and psychometrically sound instruments for assessing legal cynicism.