Measuring level of ethnic identity: A comparison of two new scales

The need for valid and reliable measures of individuals' level of ethnic identity is acute, as ethnic issues become increasingly critical on both the national and international scenes. This exploratory empirical study tested two new scales measuring level of ethnic identity: the Personal Identity Inventory (PII; London, Birnbaum, Dalit & Rothery, 1990) and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM; Phinney, in press). Data from 312 undergraduate subjects at two large Northeastern universities were collected and factor analyzed. Five factors emerged from the 26-item PII: In-Group Preference, In-Group Pride, Perceived Prejudice, Rootedness and Affiliation, and Individual as Group Member in Society. Statistically significant ethnic group differences in level of ethnic identity as measured by both the PII and the MEIM were found, with Blacks scoring highest, followed by Jews, Asians, Hispanics, and Whites. These results closely mirror those reported by Phinney (in press) for a smaller college sample in California using the MEIM. This study replicated the reported high reliability of the MEIM (Cronbach's alpha =.92), and found the PII to have similarly high internal consistency (.90). Findings provide initial evidence of convergent and construct validity for both measures. Although a significant correlation (r =.33) was obtained between total scores on the two instruments, important differences between the two scales emerged. Factor analysis of the MEIM led Phinney (in press) to conclude that ethnic identity is composed of a single factor with three intercorrelated components (for which we found modest empirical support in this study), while results using the PII indicate that five distinct factors can be identified as components of ethnic identity for both majority and minority ethnic groups. Other differences between the two proposed scales, between ethnic groups and subgroups on overall level of ethnic identity and on subscale scores, and relations between ethnic identity and background variables are presented and discussed. The revised five-subscale PII is appended, and recommendations are made for future research and development using this promising new scale. Results indicate that a similar multi-dimensional factor structure can be tapped across diverse U.S. majority and minority groups to provide valid and reliable measures of ethnic identity.