Abstract

BENDASSOLLI, Pedro F.; GONDIM, Sonia Maria Guedes  and  COELHO-LIMA, Fellipe. Attributions of causes for unemployment by unemployed workers. Aná. Psicológica [online]. 2015, vol.33, n.2, pp.153-164. ISSN 0870-8231.  https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.922.

This study investigated the assignment of causes for unemployment by unemployed workers, with a view to analyzing the predictive power of sociodemographic variables for the assignment. A scale of causal attribution of unemployment, originally developed by Furnham, was applied to 376 unemployed people. After confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the scale factors were used in a regression model containing sociodemographic variables as predictors. The CFA results support Furnham’s original three-factor model of unemployment causes (individualistic, societal, and fatalistic; χ²₍₁₀₀₎=261.53, p<0.001; χ²/gl=2.61; CFI=0.91, TLI=0.90; RMSEA=0.06). Regression analysis identified significant prediction for only the income variable and individualistic causes factor (β=0.15, p<0.01), the income variable and societal causes factor (β=0.10, p<0.001), and the educational level variable and societal causes factor (β=-0.15, p<0.01). Societal causes presented the highest average score, which was significantly (p<0.001) different than the scores for the other two factors. The study concludes that educational level does not seem to have a linear impact on beliefs regarding the causes for unemployment, nor does gender have a significant influence on these beliefs.

Keywords : Unemployment; Attributing causes; Furnham’s scale.

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