Psychometric properties of the German version of the moral disengagement in meat questionnaire (MDMQ-G)

Abstract

Moral disengagement is a valuable framework for studying dissonance reduction strategies in environmentally harmful behaviours, specifically meat consumption. The Moral Disengagement in Meat Questionnaire (MDMQ; Graça et al., 2016) proposes a five-factor structure for this framework, including means-end justifications, desensitization, denial of negative consequences, diffused responsibility, and reduced perceived choice. The full questionnaire or its individual scales have been increasingly used in studies on meat consumption, but it has not seen further validation, which is particularly relevant when adapting scales to a new context, such as a different language. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the German version of the MDMQ (MDMQ-G) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), assessment of construct and concurrent validity, and an exploration of construct alignment through a mapping approach. The CFA results, despite showing mediocre global model fit, support the five-factor structure with a single second-order dimension, consistent with the original model, suggesting robust dimensionality across European samples. Significant differences across all scales between participants of male and female gender affirm the known-group validity of the construct. Construct alignment and respective discrepancies between the scales and the theoretical framework are being discussed. The findings underscore the importance of ongoing validation and support future refinements and applications of the scales.