How Do We Use Music? Factorial Validity of the Use of Music Inventory in Slovakia, Croatia, and Serbia

This study evaluated the Use of Music Inventory (UMI) in three national samples from Slovakia ( N = 1,097), Serbia ( N = 700), and Croatia ( N = 473). Confirmatory factor analyses did not support the original item set in any country. Alternative models yielded improved fit and internal consistency while retaining the three intended dimensions (Emotional, Cognitive, Background). Item-level analyses revealed recurrent instabilities for Items 2 and 8 in Slovakia and Serbia, with additional problems for Items 4 and 12 in Croatia, indicating that nostalgia-laden, affect-specific, and genre-evaluative wordings are vulnerable to cultural/developmental variation. Convergent validity patterns were observed across countries: women scored higher on Emotional and Background use, men scored higher on Cognitive use, and respondents with formal music education scored higher on Cognitive use. Cross-country comparisons showed higher Cognitive use in Slovakia and higher Background use in Serbia. Overall, results support cautious cross-cultural use of the UMI and motivate targeted item revision (e.g., rewording or replacing retrospective and genre-specific statements) and routine tests of measurement invariance by country, gender, and education. Findings also highlight the value of complementing attitudinal UMI scales with behavioural indices of music regulation in future research.