spondents attitude towards the construct being measured. This is done by totalling up the responses given by the responsent across all items; this total score can then be evaluated against the total possible score, and as a result, an attitude strength proposed. Generally, in developing a Likert scale, a large number of items which appear to have face validity should be produced. These are then tested on a pilot sample which are the same or similar to the group on which the final attitude scale will be sampled. Once sampled, the items on the scale are then analysed in terms of their validity and reliability and poorly performing items are removed. The items remaining should then all measure the construct of interest in a valid and reliable manner; this final scale is then ready for application to the target population. There are a number of different issues concerning reliability and validity which must be considered. Firstly in the item development, all items should have face and therefore content validity; that is, all the items should appear to be measuring the corresponding domain of interest (Dyer, 1995) The scale should obviously have criterion-related validity, in other words it should be able to differentiate between the two criterion groups being tested. The scale should have internal reliable so that the differences found between the two criterion groups are actually caused by the difference in attitudes towards the construct being investigated.The construct being investigated in this study was peoples attitudes towards the recent fuel-tax protests, when the ...fuel protestors- and the beleaguered motoring public... articulated their anger at ...sky-high fuel duties... and ...brought Britain to a halt in September. (The Economist, Nov. 11th, 2000, p.37). The aim was to develop an attitudinal measure which would successfully differentiate between those people who support the fuel-tax protests and those that are against them. T...
