French Validation of the Social Dominance Orientation Scale7 (SDO7) by Ho et al. (2015): A Two-Dimensional Approach to Social Inequality Support

This pre-registered study presents the French-language validation of the Social Dominance Orientation scale (SDO₇), originally developed by Ho et al. (2015). The SDO is a key variable in research on intergroup relations. Over the past two decades, a bidimensional conceptualization has emerged, distinguishing between SDO-Dominance (SDO-D) and SDO-Egalitarianism (SDO-E). These subdimensions enhance our understanding of legitimizing myths that sustain social hierarchy. Across three independent samples (N=1121), we found that a four-factor model (SDO-D; SDO-E; Pro-trait; Con-trait) provided the best fit to the data compared to two alternative two-factor models (SDO-D; SDO-E and Pro-trait; Con-trait) and a unidimensional model  (SDO). Additionally, we examined the predictive validity of the subscales using partial correlations. Results indicate that the subscales differentially predict attitudes and endorsement of ideological beliefs. Specifically, SDO-D is more strongly associated with attitudes and ideologies that directly oppress disadvantaged groups, whereas SDO-E is more closely linked to subtle legitimizing myths that justify social inequalities. Finally, we propose a short version of the scale that retains the same psychometric properties as the full version.