ArticlePloS one2025
The German translation of the Oxford utilitarianism scale: Validation and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the observations.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
The study of utilitarian inclinations is probably the most experimentally investigated aspect of morality. The Oxford Utilitarianism Scale has been developed to provide a self-report tool for reliable measurement of utilitarian views while addressing serious methodological issues with previous measures. In this study, we have translated and validated a German version of the Oxford Utilitarianism Scale (OUS-DE). The scale consists of two subscales: Impartial Beneficence (IB-DE) and Instrumental Harm (IH-DE). We conducted a procedure in a general German sample (NS1 = 378, 243 women, Mage = 25.37) before the Covid-19 pandemic. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a good fit of a two-factor model for OUS-DE, while internal consistency and construct reliability were acceptable. Both in the pre-pandemic and the post-pandemic sample (NS2 = 348, 206 women, Mage = 24.61) we found a sex/gender difference, with women scoring significantly higher in the IB-DE subscale than men. We also found that the mean agreement with the IB-DE subscale decreased after the pandemic. In a separate third sample (NS3 = 39, 19 women, Mage = 23.72), we observed an inverse U-shape relationship between moral behavior related to quarantine requirements and the IH-DE subscale, as measured during the peak pandemic restrictions in late 2020. Repeated OUS-DE measurement in this sample showed stability in responders' utilitarian beliefs post-pandemic. In sum, OUS-DE is the first available measurement of utilitarian inclinations in German. The scale will enable further research on how utilitarian preconceptions affect behavior in German-speaking populations.
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