Conceptualizing and measuring global consciousness

Abstract

Abstract To examine the conceptualization and the measurement of global consciousness (GC) in cross‐national contexts, we conducted a secondary analysis on survey data collected from 16,241 individuals across 35 societies. Results demonstrate that GC is best conceptualized as a multidimensional construct by a bifactor ESEM model, in which GC captures an overarching and direct source of common variance across all manifest indicators, whereas domain‐specific residual variance is retained by three existing measures: Identification with All Humanity (IWAH), Cosmopolitan Orientation (COS), and a shortened version of Global Orientations (GOS). Metric invariance was successfully achieved across 30 out of 35 societies. At the individual level, GC was negatively associated with political conservatism, an effect that was amplified in societies with higher HDI, more robust rule of law, and a salient culture of individualism. In an exploratory societal‐level analysis, aggregated GC functioned as an informative ecological indicator, appearing more prominent in the Global South societies across the sample. This preliminary pattern is probably attributable to the open system where GC is measured, reflecting the hopes and aspirations of people in the making.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Political Psychology, 2026 · DOI ↗