Application of the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale in Greece

Abstract

Researchers from various fields have studied in recent years the environmental attitudes of people and how environmental attitudes affect their behavior. There are several well-established environmental behavior measures and, among them, the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale is one used to measure the environmental concern of citizens. This study investigates the application of the NEP scale in Greece. The survey was conducted in November 2020 in Greek cities. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Totally, 1,689 valid questionnaires were analysed, using simple descriptive statistics and chi-square test. The results show that the respondents believe that the limit of the number of people that the earth can support is approaching and that humans are severely abusing the environment. In addition, the respondents believe that humans are still subject to the laws of nature, and also that the fragility of nature’s balance is very delicate and easily upset. Also, the respondents declare that if things continue on their present course, a major ecological catastrophe will occur in the near future. Finally, Greek citizens show a high environmental concern, both for the current state of nature and for the future one, while those living outside Athens, the capital of Greece, are more environmentally sensitive.