Initial psychometric properties of the national entitlement scale and its association with social dominance orientation and psychological sense of global community

Background Many people tend to think that the social groups they belong to deserve more than other social groups, and for some, this tendency is more pronounced. National entitlement represents this tendency in national identities and refers to one’s unrealistic belief that one’s nation is privileged and entitled to more than other nations. In other words, national entitlement reflects one’s belief that one’s nation should achieve various gains, regardless of whether the nation actually deserves them. To date, no comprehensive, valid, and reliable scale exists to measure national entitlement. Therefore, the primary purpose of this research is to adapt the Psychological Entitlement Scale to the national level and to examine its relationship with social dominance orientation and psychological sense of global community. Methods The participant group included 335 young and middle-aged Turkish adults (55.2% men; M = 29, SD = 7.27). The factor structure of the 8-item National Entitlement Scale was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The relationship between national entitlement, social dominance orientation (SDO), and psychological sense of global community (PSGC) was examined using Pearson correlation analyses and the PROCESS macro (Model 4). Results Factor analyses suggested a one-factor structure with high reliability for the National Entitlement Scale. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that national entitlement was positively correlated with SDO and negatively correlated with PSGC. SDO was also negatively correlated with PSGC. Importantly, PSGC significantly mediated the relationship between SDO and national entitlement. Conclusions The results indicate that the 8-item National Entitlement Scale is psychometrically valid and reliable. Moreover, the findings highlight the role of PSGC in the relationship between SDO and national entitlement.