Reliability and Validity Test of the Chinese Version of the Community Integration Scale

The present study examined the applicability of Buckner’s Community Integration Scale to China’s relocated migrant groups and tested its reliability and validity indicators. We used the Chinese version of Buckner’s Community Integration Scale to investigate 1,163 relocated immigrants. The Brief Sense of Community Scales (BSCS) and the Index of Well-being scale were used to check criterion validity. The scale was also retested for 101 relocated immigrants after 4 weeks. The Chinese version of the Community Integration Scale has 13 items, including three factors: attraction-to-neighborhood, neighboring, and psychological sense of community. The model fit for the three factors was good. Both the total score of the community integration scale and the scores of each factor had significant positive correlations with BSCS and the index of well-being, suggesting the good stability of this scale over 4 weeks. Based on the factor variance and covariance invariance model, the factor mean invariance appeared to hold by gender. The Chinese version of the Community Integration Scale may be used to effectively measure the community integration of relocated migrant groups in China. These results of the Community Integration Scale may help in designing community integration programs in the future. JEL Classification Codes: C18, J15, I31