The development and validation of the Leisure Internet Usage Scale (LIUS)

This study aimed to examine the main constructs related to internet usage for the purpose of leisure and develop a valid and reliable scale to analyse participation in internet activities. By reviewing the literature and the based-on semi-structured focus group interviews, the factors for the internet activity participation were determined. The data were collected from two different participant groups, and exploratory factor analysis (n = 283) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 307) were performed on the data respectively. The results showed that four factors were linked to leisure activity participation: i) information/self-improvement; ii) shopping, iii) multimedia usage, and iv) social interaction. The validity of the scale was calculated through content, convergent, and divergent validity tests. Internal consistency and stability of the scale were determined through Cronbach’s alpha and Pearson correlation coefficients. In conclusion, the findings revealed that Leisure Internet Usage Scale was a valid and reliable instrument.