A Method for Measuring Environmental Value Consciousness by Factor Analysis

Abstract

In order to solve the global environmental problems we are forced to switch our lifestyle from an energy-consuming type to an energy-saving type. For this shift, we need to change our minds and way of thinking to an environmentally conscious one. The purpose of this paper is to propose an efficient and unbiased questionnaire method to identify people's environmental value consciousness and its influencing factors. The method is similar to that of proposed by Inglehart (1997, 2005) but modified for the measurement of environmental value consciousness. Although the survey is limited to a few groups of people in Japan, the analyzed results indicate that the personal attributes like age, living area and childhood experiences are strong factors influencing the environmental value consciousness but gender and adult experiences are found to be unrelated.