Design and Psychometric Properties of the BAtSS: A New Tool to Assess Attitudes towards Bats

Despite the benefits that bats offer ecosystem, these animals are feared and attacked. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated this situation. Today there is an urgent need to address human-bat conflict develop conservation policies. Understanding peoples’ attitudes towards critical for process. This study aimed design Bats Attitudes Standard Scale (BAtSS) analyze its psychometric properties. We developed initial version of scale in which we established content validity; analyzed items structure a pilot sample. In next phase, examined properties sample 1639 Chileans. final BAtSS consists 34 Likert-type configured oblique-hierarchical four factors (scientistic, positivistic, negativistic, myths) three facets (emotional behavioral cognitive negativistic). It presents adequate internal consistency, analysis concurrent validity confirms scale’s capacity discriminate between groups. Women participants with lower level education more negativistic less positivistic. People higher have mythological view bats. also under assumptions item response theory (IRT).