An Examination of the Factor Structure of the Survey of Black Cultural Wealth in a Sample of Black-Identified Adults

Background: This study is to confirm the factor structure of the Survey of Black Cultural Wealth (SBCW) with a sample of Black-identified American adults. The SBCW is a 33-item measure created to quantitatively evaluate Black Cultural Wealth, a manifestation of community cultural wealth as the lens of the identity and sociohistorical context of Black people in America. An evaluation of internal consistency done during small-sample pilot testing with the same population suggested that a unidimensional structure may fit, while the underlying theory and structure of the survey centers on the presence of six subfactors. The work here will explore three potential factor structures that are consistent with theory and pilot data, comparing them to determine what structure best fits.

Methods: Data were collected using a cross-sectional design. Online crowdsourcing through Qualtrics Panels was employed to recruit a purposive sample of Black-identified adults in America (n = 717). 51.5% of respondents were between 18 and 34 years old, and 66.9% self-identified as female. Educationally, most respondents (68.2%) and their caregivers (70.2%) had less than a bachelor’s degree, and 57% (n = 409) reported making $41,775 a year or less. Consistent with confirmatory factor analysis, the three model specifications to be tested were set a priori: a unidimensional model, a higher-order model, and a bifactor model. Model fit was evaluated using five indicators: (1) chi square; (2) root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA); (3) comparative fit index (CFI); (4) Tucker-Lewis index (TLI); and (5) standardized root mean square residual (SRMR). Model fit was analyzed sequentially, and factors were examined, with items removed depending on these values in conjunction with theoretical appropriateness. Once the best fitting model was determined, reliability was inspected, and differences across demographic categories were evaluated.

Results: The confirmatory factor analysis and model comparison determined that the data were best explained by a 28-item bifactor model with correlated grouping factors, meeting all fit indicators. To determine how to best interpret the bifactor model, explained common variance, reliable variance, and factor reliabilities using omega (including hierarchical and subscale variations) were also evaluated. Findings provided strong evidence of multidimensionality in the measure, indicating subscale values should be reported alongside a general score. One subscale, social capital, explained less than 50% of the variance in its items, indicating lower reliability. Some statistically significant variation in scores was observed along demographic profiles, but values were not very meaningful and seems to support large invariance across groups.

Implications: The findings suggest that the SBCW is a valid and reliable measure for use with Black American adults, with strong evidence in support of using both general and subscale scores for five out of the hypothesized six subfactors. While there is some significant difference in scores across demographic profiles, regression coefficients were not substantial. Future research should explore additional validity testing, particularly predictive and concurrent validity for related constructs, and demographic measurement invariance testing.