Validation Of The Social Identity Group Need Satisfaction And Frustration Scale

In this paper, we argue for the need to assess social identity group need satisfaction and frustration in addition to individual level needs. We argue that political science and psychology require a measure of social identity group needs to provide empirical insights into how state treatment of groups influences their citizens' wellbeing. In this paper, we create and validate a short measure of group needs on a sample of Australian (n = 2081) and American (n = 1493) adults. We show the measure fit the data well, is invariant across gender, nation, and social identity group, and is related to validation variables in expected directions. We also contrast group needs with individual needs. We show that group needs are distinct from individual needs. Group and individual needs are associated in similar directions and strengths with wellbeing and primary goods. Individual need satisfaction is positively related to identity centrality and need frustration negatively related. Group needs are almost always positively related to identity centrality. We argue that our measure can make a meaningful contribution to empirical research in the social sciences.