Idols Within Reach: Measuring Perceptions of Media Role Models’ Attainability

Abstract

Media do not only enable social comparison with perfect idols but also with role models who seem “attainable” and thus within reach for youth, which can invoke inspiration. Yet, research lacks a comprehensive validated scale to reliably assess such attainability perceptions. Addressing this research gap, we developed the Perceptions of Media Role Models’ Attainability (PoMRA) scale and two short-form versions of this measure, which we tested and validated in three independent studies among youth ( N _Total = 1,043, 16–25 years). We demonstrated a five-factor structure for the scale and established measurement invariance across gender and role model types.