Measuring the Burden of Choice: Development and Validation of a Choice Overload Scale

ABSTRACT

Excessive choice imposes substantial cognitive demands on consumers, impair decision‐making, and generate negative consumer responses—a phenomenon widely known as the choice overload effect. Despite its conceptual prominence in consumer research and its enduring relevance in today's consumer markets, existing approaches to measuring choice overload have not converged on a validated psychometric instrument. Addressing this gap, the present research introduces an eight‐item Choice Overload Scale, developed and validated across seven studies. Grounded in cognitive psychology and problem‐solving theory, the Choice Overload Scale captures the core psychological processes underlying choice overload in consumer contexts and is available in both English and German. Across multiple validation stages, the scale demonstrates robust psychometric performance, theoretical coherence, and comprehensive validity evidence. Combining psychometric rigor with practical relevance, it provides a reliable measure for academic research and managerial use. This research advances construct operationalization and offers a foundation for future research on how consumers navigate decision‐making in complex environments characterized by excessive choice.