Description

The Social Dominance Orientation Scale (SDO-16) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess an individual’s preference for hierarchical relationships among social groups and their attitudes toward social inequality. The scale evaluates the extent to which individuals support or oppose the existence of social hierarchies and unequal distribution of power between groups.

The concept of Social Dominance Orientation refers to a relatively stable individual difference that influences attitudes toward group-based inequality, social status, and intergroup relations. It has been widely used in research examining prejudice, discrimination, political attitudes, and social beliefs.

Objective

The main objective of the SDO-16 is to understand the psychological and social factors that influence individuals’ acceptance or rejection of hierarchical social structures.

The scale aims to examine why some individuals support social inequalities and group-based dominance, while others promote equality among social groups. Understanding SDO contributes to the development of educational and social interventions aimed at reducing discrimination and promoting social justice.

Research using the SDO framework investigates relationships between social dominance orientation and phenomena such as racism, sexism, xenophobia, political attitudes, and interpersonal relationships.

Structure and Content

The SDO-16 consists of statements assessing attitudes toward social hierarchy, equality, and relationships between social groups.

The items examine two main aspects of social dominance orientation: preference for group-based hierarchy and opposition to equality between groups.

Participants indicate their level of agreement with statements expressing views about social inequality, group superiority, and social relations.

Scoring Method

Responses are typically recorded using a Likert-type scale, ranging from:

Strongly Disagree

to

Strongly Agree.

Items supporting equality are reverse-scored, while items expressing acceptance of social hierarchy receive higher scores according to the level of agreement.

The total score is calculated by combining responses across items. Higher scores indicate stronger support for social hierarchy and greater acceptance of inequality between social groups, whereas lower scores indicate stronger preference for equality.

Data Analysis and Use

Data from the SDO-16 can be analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and comparative methods.

The scale is widely used in social psychology, political psychology, education, and sociology to investigate the relationship between social attitudes and behaviours.

It can be applied to examine how social dominance orientation predicts attitudes toward minority groups, social policies, intergroup relations, and patterns of prejudice or discrimination.

Validity and Reliability

The SDO scale has demonstrated strong psychometric properties across different populations and cultural contexts. Research has supported its construct validity and its ability to predict social and political attitudes related to group-based inequality.

References

Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., Stallworth, L. M., & Malle, B. F. (1994). Social dominance orientation: A personality variable predicting social and political attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(4), 741–763.

Ho, A. K., Sidanius, J., Pratto, F., Levin, S., Thomsen, L., Kteily, N., & Sheehy-Skeffington, J. (2012). Social dominance orientation: Revisiting the structure and function of a variable predicting social and political attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(5), 583–606.

Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. (1999). Social Dominance: An Intergroup Theory of Social Hierarchy and Oppression. Cambridge University Press.

Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., & Levin, S. (2006). Social dominance theory and the dynamics of intergroup relations: Taking stock and looking forward. European Review of Social Psychology, 17(1), 271–320.