FIELD METHODS

10.1177/1525822X03251553
Prados, Tejada / UNCONVENTIONAL POLITICAL ACTION SCALE ARTICLE

Analysis of the Unconventional Political

Action Scale: Results in Spain

JUAN SEBASTIÁN FERNÁNDEZ PRADOS

ANTONIO JOSÉ ROJAS TEJADA
University of Almería

Citizens usually participate in two ways in politics: conventional and unconven-

tional political action. The latter type covers a wide range of behaviors that do not
conform to the rules defined under a specific regime. Among the most significant
unconventional expressions are the signing of petitions, boycotts, legal demonstra-
tions, illegal strikes, and the occupation of buildings. In this article, the
psychometric properties of a scale to measure unconventional political action in
Spain are assessed. This scale was included in the last World Values Survey (of
1995–1996). The sample used in that survey contained 6,920 persons in Spain. The
data from Spain are analyzed for the country as a whole and by region. Reliability, as
indicated by Cronbach’s alpha, is acceptable, and construct validity (tested with a
principal components analysis, a differential study, and a correlational study) sup-
ports the use of the scale to differentiate persons in unconventional political action.

Keywords: unconventional political action; Unconventional Political Action Scale;

postmaterialism; reliability; validity

It is common to distinguish between two modes of political action, conven-

tional and unconventional. Interest in different modes of political action
arose in connection with comparative studies of political culture in countries
where a significant level of democratic maturity and development had been
achieved (e.g., Barnes and Kaase 1979; Tarrow 1988; Pierce and Converse
1990; Gibson 1997). Above all, interest in this area has been associated with
research on new social movements and their methods of political mobiliza-
tion (McCarthy and Zald 1977; Offe 1985, 1990).
Conventional political action is composed of a range of behaviors for
political participation established by the laws and rules of a country. The
most common conventional behavior, of course, is voting, and the most visi-
ble institutions for mobilizing this action are political parties (Finkel and Opp
1991). By contrast, unconventional political action covers a wide range of
behaviors that do not conform to the rules of a specific regime. Among the

Field Methods, Vol. 15, No. 2, Month 2003 1–

DOI: 10.1177/1525822X03251553
© 2003 Sage Publications
1
12 FIELD METHODS

Wright, B. D., and G. N. Masters. 1982. Rating scale analysis. Chicago: MESA Press.

JUAN SEBASTIÁN FERNÁNDEZ PRADOS is an associate professor in the Department

of Sociology at the University of Almería, Spain. He has a Ph.D. from Open University,
Madrid. His research interests include political culture of volunteers and survey meth-
odology. His recent publications include “Comentarios a ‘Organización y gestión de los
trabajos de campo con encuestas personales y telefónicas’ ” (Comments on Organiza-
tion and Administration of the Field Methods in Personal and Phone Surveys) (2002,
Metodología de Encuestas) and “Cultura y valores de la sociedad civil: Las
organizaciones de voluntariado social” (Culture and Values of the Civil Society: Social
Voluntary Associations) (in press, Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas).

ANTONIO JOSÉ ROJAS TEJADA is a full professor in the Department of Social and
Behavioral Sciences Methodology at the University of Almería, Spain. He has a Ph.D.
from the University of Granada in Spain. His research interests include psychometric
methods, applied measurement, and survey methodology. Some of his recent publica-
tions are “Pasado, presente y futuro de los Tests Adaptativos Informatizados: Entrevista
con Isaac I. Bejar” (Past, Present and Future of Computerized Adaptive Testing: Inter-
view with Isaac I. Bejar) (2001, Psicothema), “Two Strategies for Fitting Real Data to
Rasch Polytomous Models” (with A. González, J. L. Padilla, and C. Pérez, 2002, Journal
of Applied Measurement), and “Reflexiones críticas sobre la investigación en medición
mediante tests en España” (Critical Reflections about Testing Research in Spain) (2002,
Apuntes de Psicología).
 01235676138659
2 03 
 033013!
0" Z[\]^_`ab^[cd_ef\d]g_hiij_a^_kbldfmn]^_jco] 
#3 6 3010"2 3!
0"2 $%3312 #618 93!2

&'()*+,(-./*0
1/23-45
<2=>(?-+@4(A+A3*
1A-(B/45
D2=)'0.(4
!65!0!62676 0"38!65!0!62
301662
!C38313

EF910!32G
9:
#56;
D2=)'?A-'/3+-5H( 3012
I<<J KLMLNMMO
1/P(4AB( KQNQ7MRMR
<?/H( S6156!C3528912C620!162093! 6!C3522659
T615762!0!3283 !C623010596C073012662
!C63116!3U 006 6!U001
22058626!0!33850!0093!C 0!C3C!05V3C 096C073!C6
0!01W315GC650!0096X01!0!763X0!!0!76U020!C6 6!C35283001
22058626!0!3G
#3 6806
#3W!38912C!C2Y301
3!0!
3!C637620!3093!!C2Y301

p0!162
C626!38Y3012C0769660"65035!3!C60557565!3836X01382U83X0!162GpKq66r
3 8262!C6X0!638!C6Y3012W!C!C6CC62!70162UpMq
6113Wr!C62635CC62!70162Upsq306r!C6!C5
CC62!7016205ptq65r!C613W62!70162G
!C38313

1A-(B/45 u(A4 v2A4-')(

!C38313
KQQQ pM
!C38313
MRRR ps
!C38313
KQQQMRRKMRRpM
K MRRs MRRL MRRy MRRQ MRKK MRKs MRKL MRKy MRKQ
!C38313
MRRM pM
 !0!328653 6!
C6202%67568656!862!650!3!C0! C250!33!2!C6 9638!0!32667659

0"2Y30129
!C6w07606862!6860!16wG!2 53 6!283 0Y3010557562!C6 9
!C6!3!01
902653!C6560!C0!w011!0!32063!60!65  963853 6!28912C65!C0!Y301GC6
6X01wG20 60263826!Tx6638 C0!2C3W2!C66731!338!C607606 9638
 !  !      (
?) ?C " #   $ ! B)A !# "     # )
     !% * #   +"  ! 
<)C   & '  ! " $ 
 ,
B*-   )
      
*8  E !F8  ?)./
;91011236547189 5122 62741
?>">!  !G 8 9: );#  <=== >);;;
 !F " #G  <)8
@
8
9: );# 
 9: );# 
?>>>
?>><
>)?@>
>);A;
  $   "# ) 8 9: );#  ?>>? >)BB@
<H>>E !F &   ! <)8
? 9: );#  ?>>B >)?=B
!$   # 8 9: );#  ?>>; >)A>@
 ) >)8
A 9: );#  ?>>C >)=>C
> 8 9: );#  ?>>A <)<?=
./9<1=0== ?>>?512?2>>C627?4>1>@ ?><< ?><; ?><D 8
> 9: );#  ?>>D <)D<;
E!8 <=== ; 8 9: );#  ?>>@ <)@DB
I 8  :  8  : K% 8
;"!  !    ;%> 8 !  
 I    ) ) !F "   #   ! " 
 "  " #G   )*  !G
?  $   "# )I  ?>  $ #   ! 
  # $  ! #L $  # )
 !F!  ! " 
># J  ) >5122 M8912829/6827.6772N6229/68
<=== ?>>? ?>>C ?>>@ ?><< ?><; ?><D <=<===== >)?>>>>? ?>>C ?>>@ ?><< ?><; ?><D
./9 5 67 ?>>> ;DA
8   
F    8    Q    
@

>  " #   # @-
>!G ($  # 
    ! O O( ("     ")
!G  $    $ !$# )
;>   (!     "  ;>
 # ")     P65471890 5122 62741
   ( " !    ) Q     <=== B>
> >Q     ?>>> B@
P6<=5=4=718?9>0>? ?>>C ?>5>@122?><62
< 741?><; ?><D Q<=== ?>>? ?>>C ?>?>><>@ B?C><< ?><; ?><D

  <=== C Q     ?>>? ;A
R E$ 
# 
H#   
 #
 S
TUVWXYZ[\W]]^_àabbbc_defUg

0123125677189

 
 
  
01234627894

  RSRTUV T_`ab_aUV

  WXHNMYZNJ[QYP IcMHP[
 !"#$%#&'#'$ 7@\]>>9^X#",Z%.&,
()**%""++,-%.& ',&/-$012(3 d_RUaefSUV gbhTSd_RSe`ijfUkbU`dl

'%.+&&"&pqq$# )HPPmNPnoNKG
45657589:;<=;><5?@5:6:6A 4565B<9CDEFA GHIJKLMNONGPHQI
&$#"$#'$-#'%+,#$#"#'+pqq
$#
01223457382 9
 9
 7382
!!" #$%&'(

)
*+,(&-./012&3+-4,
78! 9:; @" 99 6B! C! DE
" 5!6 9:; <=8 9:; A 9  7;
78!>!?6 6B!9 F!
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

GHIJ IKLLM INOMJ INGLH INLMP HNGMH GL MMNHH JQNHPH

GHIL IKIGG INIHH INHPH INMIH HNOMJ GJ IHHNHH JJNGLH
GHIM PLP HNPQG HNPLI INGIM HNIIL GJ IHHNHH LRNLGI
GHIO QGO HNPQL HNPLM INLQM HNIJQ GM IHHNHH JHNRLO
GHIG JLO HNLLI HNLOI INJPI HNIQM GO IHHNHH MLNJGR
GHII MRI INIII INHMM GNLGQ HNIGH GL IHHNHH QHNMMH
GHIH OQO INIPJ INIPJ 4ST HNIJQ GM IHHNHH QJNJGR
GHHR OHO INHRO INHQH 4ST HNGOP GI IHHNHH QMNGJL
GHHP GHR INMHH INOII 4ST HNOIP GG RLNML PJNPPL
0123

4
56089
1 1

4
0 686868086880
5601
0123 1! 58 2! 0123 1! 58 2!
"#$% $$&%# '$ (()*** $(&$#( '$ (*)+%,
"#$( $%&%# '$ +%)--- "#&$#- '$ ($)".#
"#$+ *"&(. '" ,")%-$ **&%( '" ,,)(*+
"#$, *$&(" '" ,")(#. "(&%, '" +$)*.-
"#$. *"&(- '" ,").## "%&%. '" +#)###