A Multi-Level Perspective on Social Responsibility: From Corporate Practices to Individual Action in Sustainability

Ethical behavior and sustainable development have increased interest in individual and social responsibility beyond corporate social responsibility. Individual Social Responsibility remains underexplored, with limited empirically validated measures. This study conceptualizes ISR and develops a multidimensional scale to assess individual responsibility toward social, public, and environmental issues followed by stakeholder theory. A mixed-method research design was employed. Measurement items were generated through a comprehensive review of CSR and sustainability literature and semi-structured interviews with CSR professionals and academics. Data were then collected from managerial and non-managerial employees in manufacturing and service-sector organizations of China. The proposed scale was evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and unidimensionality tests. Results demonstrate that the ISR scale satisfies established statistical criteria and comprises three dimensions: social responsibility, public responsibility, and environmental responsibility. This study provides an empirically validated foundation for measuring ISR and organizations seeking to promote responsible individual behavior and sustainable societal development.