Stigma consciousness among the unemployed and prejudices against them: development of two scales for the 7th wave of the panel study “Labour Market and Social Security (PASS)”

• Published in: Journal for labour market research Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 335 - 351
• Main Authors: Gurr, Thomas, Jungbauer-Gans, Monika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01.12.2013; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Arbeitslose; Arbeitslosigkeit; Consciousness; Deutschland; Diskriminierung; Economic Policy; Economics; Economics and Finance; Forschungsstand; Fragebogen; Fremdbild; Germany; Human Resource Management; IAB-Haushaltspanel; Labor Economics; Labor market; Labour demand; Labour economics; Labour force; Labour force utilization; Labour market participation; Labour market structure; Labour mobility; Labour supply; Longitudinal studies; Meinung; Messung; Panel; Panel data; Population Economics; Quantitative analysis; Regional/Spatial Science; Selbstbewusstsein; Skalierung; Social integration; Social psychology; Social Security; Sociology; soziale Ausgrenzung; Soziale Integration; Stereotyp; Stigma; Stigmatisierung - Auswirkungen; Stigmatisierung - Messung; Stigmatisierung - Ursache; Unemployed; Unemployment; Vorurteil; Wahrnehmung; Social Exclusion; Negative Ascription; Local Unemployment Rate; Unemployment Duration; Unemployed People
• ISSN: 2510-5027; 1614-3485; 2510-5019; 2510-5027; 1867-8343
• DOI: 10.1007/s12651-013-0144-z

This paper develops scales to measure stigma consciousness in the unemployed and prejudices against them, using a quantitative survey. The requirement for these scales is illustrated in the introduction. The theoretical substantiation of the scale development includes a definition of stigmatisation, an overview of the current state of research regarding the consequences of stigmatisation for individuals, and the possible causes of stigmatisation processes. The argumentation is based on reflections on the significance of employment in people's lives. How the prejudice and the stigmatisation scales are developed is the subject-matter of the main section. Using data from a pre-test of both scales, the final version of the scales is then carved out. We conclude with a summary of our theoretical considerations and some thoughts about possible applications for the scales.