ABSTRACT
This article describes the process of developing and testing the Poverty Attribution Survey (PAS), a measure of poverty attributions. The PAS is theory based and includes original items as well as items from previously tested poverty attribution instruments. The PAS was electronically administered to a sample of state-licensed professional social workers. The three scales of the PAS—individual, cultural, and structural—demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability. We conducted exploratory factor analyses and forced three-factor analyses and retained items with factor loadings at or above .50. The items on each scale loaded as predicted with few exceptions. The PAS is a new tool for standardizing poverty attribution research. We discuss implications for social work education, research, and practice.
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Notes on contributors
Robert M. Bennett
Robert M. Bennett is graduate teaching associate, and Lisa Raiz and Tamara S. Davis are associate professors at The Ohio State University.
Lisa Raiz
Robert M. Bennett is graduate teaching associate, and Lisa Raiz and Tamara S. Davis are associate professors at The Ohio State University.
Tamara S. Davis
Robert M. Bennett is graduate teaching associate, and Lisa Raiz and Tamara S. Davis are associate professors at The Ohio State University.