Measuring sustainability consciousness in Italy

Abstract

Sustainability can be conceived as an ideal state in which society, environment and economy can thrive without harming each other in the present, future and global space. In this paper, we validate the Italian version of the sustainability consciousness questionnaire developed by a Swedish research group. The psychometric construct aims to measure individual sustainability consciousness through a combination of knowingness, attitudes and behaviour. The validation process is based on the hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis model and includes both the long and short forms of the questionnaire proposed in the original study. Specifically, we propose two alternative approaches to validate the short form, one based on the same subset of items as the original proposal and another based on a data-driven strategy that resulted in a different subset of items. Once validated on a national level, the sustainability consciousness questionnaire becomes a valuable tool for researchers and policymakers to assess the sustainability consciousness levels within a national or local population regarding this crucial issue, enabling the design of more precisely targeted policies.