Fear of Missing Out Scale – A Nationwide Representative CAWI Survey in Poland

Abstract

Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is a growing problem that arouses interest from scientists, media and recipients. Therefore, finding a universal way to calculate the scale of the phenomenon can not only become a common tool for estimating the extent of FOMO occurrence in any country, but also can be considered for managing this phenomenon. The article presents the results of measuring the FOMO scale in Poland in 2018. The project applied a Computer Assisted Web Interview survey of the representative sample (N=1060) of Poland’s internet users aged 15 years plus. Three groups of ‘FOMO level’ characteristics were determined (age was the most influential variable). The original method of recalculation of the FOMO scale results from figures to percentage data was developed in order to present the FOMO scale index. The FOMO items showed good internal consistency and reliability Cronbach’s α = .89, thus complementing previous international studies.