A CROSS-CULTURAL HOUSEHOLD LEVEL-OF-LIVING SCALE.

The purpose of this study was to construct a level-of-living scale that is valid cross-culturally. Level-of-living and related socioeconomic indices have been widely used in social science research. All of these scales have been culture-bound and seldom, if ever, even adequate for longitudinal studies. New approaches for measuring such phenomena are needed. Previous level-of-living scales have been based on possession of items rather than on their functional use. For this study a list of functions fulfilled within the household through the utilization of material items was compiled. Gradations in technological efficiency in performing these functions were given weights ranging from one to five. Functional alternatives to the items listed are permitted. The resulting 14-item household level- of-living sale was tested by use of data from rural Georgia, Puerto Rico. and the Dominican Republic Evidence is presented that the instrument is a valid and reliable measure of level of living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]