Measuring socially responsible consumption: a study of Colombia–Mexico Medición del Consumo Socialmente Responsable: un estudio Colombia–Méjico Lida Esperanza Villa Castaño, Jesús Perdomo-Ortiz, William Fernando Durán León and Sebastián Dueñas Ocampo Departamento de Administración de Empresas, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia, and Florina Guadalupe Arredondo Trapero Departamento de Estudios Humanísticos, Escuela de Humanidades y Educación, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Toluca, Mexico Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find evidence of construct validity in a Mexican population for a socially responsible consumption (SRC) measurement scale originally proposed for Colombia. Design/methodology/approach – Using a quantitative approach and a correlational scope, factorial invariance and differential item functioning analyses were performed on the SRC measurement scale based on data from 323 Colombian graduate students and 456 Mexican students. Findings – The empirical evidence confirms that the factor structure of the SRC measurement scale applied in Colombia remains valid in the Mexican context. Research limitations/implications – Limitations pertain to the attitudinal measurement scale and the non-representativeness of the chosen samples. Practical implications – When identifying a structure for SRC, particularly considering the formulation of marketing strategies and business reputation, companies should consider the new criteria of buying consumption. Originality/value – For the first time in Latin America, an SRC measurement scale is constructed, and its construct validity is evaluated for two countries: Mexico and Colombia. The authors thus provide empirical evidence for the hypothesis that SRC measurement is contingent on the expression of measurement considering the socioeconomic and cultural context in which the study is conducted. Keywords Socially responsible consumption, Measurement scales, Construct validation Paper type Research paper Resumen Propósito – Buscar evidencia de validez de constructo en una población mexicana para la escala de medida del Consumo Socialmente Responsable (CSR) propuesta para Colombia. Diseño/metodología/enfoque – Con un enfoque cuantitativo y alcance correlacional se realiza un análisis de invarianza factorial y de funcionamiento diferencial del ítem (DIF), de la escala de medida del CSR en 323 estudiantes de posgrado colombianos y 456 mexicanos. Hallazgos – La evidencia empírica confirma que la estructura factorial de la escala de medida del CSR aplicado en Colombia se mantiene en el contexto mexicano. Limitaciones de la investigación/implicaciones – Las propias de las escalas de medida actitudinal y de la no representatividad de las muestras elegidas. Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administración Vol. 31 No. 3, 2018 pp. 553-568 © Emerald Publishing Limited 1012-8255 DOI 10.1108/ARLA-12-2016-0356 Received 27 December 2016 Revised 20 September 2017 29 November 2017 12 January 2018 23 January 2018 8 March 2018 Accepted 7 May 2018 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1012-8255.htm 553 Measuring socially responsible consumption