Scale development for consumer protection and its determinants: evidence from Nigeria

Purpose This paper aims to develop an instrument for measuring Consumer Protection and its Determinants (CP&Ds). This is because literature on an instrument to measure CP&Ds is scarce. Design/methodology/approach In Nigeria, 53 questionnaires were distributed to legal practitioners. The study used 24 items to operationalize the CP&Ds. The research data were coded and scored, and the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using SPSS version 22. The Bartlett’s test of sphericity, Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin, Cronbach’s alpha and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for the EFA, internal consistency reliability and multicollinearity, respectively. Findings The EFA produced seven factors, and each determinant was found reliable with its measure of internal consistency. Research limitations/implications The research result may not be generalized across jurisdiction because of the limited sample size and the fact that the data were collected from Nigerian legal practitioners. Practical implications This study can be used by policymakers and even private electricity companies in the deregulated electricity sector in Nigeria for policy design and effective consumer protection. Originality/value From the extensive literature review none was identified on the scale development for measuring CP&Ds. This exploratory research is the first attempt to develop an instrument for measuring CP&Ds.