Abstract

System justification is a crucial social psychological construct for explaining why individuals sometimes support unjust social systems. This study validated two scales measuring justification for the procedural aspects (market system justification) and outcome-related aspects (economic system justification) of the economic system within the South Korean context, by adapting measures from Western culture. In Study 1 (n = 788) and Study 2 (n = 734), the factor structures of each scale were identified through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Study 3 (n = 400) analyzed the validity of the scales by examining their associations with each other and with theoretically relevant constructs, including right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and conservatism. In this process, factors consisting of reverse-coded items demonstrated low validity and were therefore excluded from the scales. Measurement invariance across gender, age, and subjective socioeconomic status was subsequently confirmed for the final selected factors. Consequently, this study proposes a two-factor Market System Justification Scale and a single-factor Economic System Justification Scale. By providing two measurement tools for assessing the justification of economic systems, this study lays the foundation for further empirical research into the economic values and system justification mechanisms of Koreans.