Connectedness To Nature Scale Research Articles

Experiencing Connection With Nature: The Matrix of Psychological Well-Being, Mindfulness, and Outdoor Recreation

Abstract Ecopsychological theory and practice underscore the vital importance of realizing the interdependence between human beings and the diverse living universes that they inhabit. This article focuses on the mental health implications of the shift toward a more ecologically rooted identity by examining relationships between psychological well-being and the personal experience of connection with nature. Three separate surveys conducted with undergraduate and community samples assessed relationships between the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS), psychological well-being, mindfulness, and outdoor recreation. Higher CNS scores were consistently associated with greater trait mindfulness, more participation in appreciative outdoor activities, and higher scores on multiple measures of both hedonic and eudaimonic aspects of psychological well-being. Discussion focuses on informing optimal strategies for nature-based interventions.

Psychometric properties of the Environmental Identity Scale (EID)

The Environmental Identity (EID) Scale was proposed by Clayton to study the relationship between identity and nature. Although it is cited in several publications, it has rarely been subjected to psychometric analysis. The main aim of this study is to analyze the fulfilment of construct and convergent validity criteria for this scale. For this purpose, 282 university students were asked to complete a questionnaire, along with related measures: Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS), the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) scale, Ego-biocentrism and self-reporting of pro-environmental behaviours. Exploratory factor analysis of EID shows that there are four underlying dimensions: environmental identity; enjoying nature; appreciation of nature; and environmentalism. All the correlations between EID and the criteria variables were significant, with environmentalism and environmental identity as the best predictors of pro-environmental behaviour.

Intergenerational differences in values and dioxin risk perceptions in South Korea

PurposeThe objectives of the research are to examine the differences among generations in South Korea in values or worldview (measured by the feeling of Connectedness‐to‐Nature Scale (CNS)) and the intervening effects of the worldview on perceptions and behaviors in relation to and in response to the complex risk of dioxins – the unpleasant by‐products of the modern wasteful cultures.Design/methodology/approachA quasi‐experimental survey method was designed based on the content analysis of the media coverage on dioxin risk in Korea. The variables examined for this research include awareness, risk knowledge, the affective connectedness to nature worldview, opinion of management methods, and willingness‐to‐act (WTA) behaviors. An in‐person‐type survey administration was conducted on individuals from different social backgrounds in the city of Jeonju, Korea.FindingsThe findings show that there are no significant effects of age on one's awareness and knowledge of dioxin risk. However, the older respondents show significantly higher CNS, societal‐level WTA, and recycling behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications include that the traditional Korean worldview, which emphasizes oneness or connectedness between humans and nature, does not disappear and infact significantly influences the perceptions and behaviors of the older Koreans. It is possible to assume that the younger Koreans are relatively less influenced by this worldview. However, additional tests across society are necessary for obtaining some generalization.Originality/valueThe originality or value of the study is that it systematically produces a social psychological analysis of the long‐term complex risk for individuals other than North Americans.

The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of emotional connection to nature?

Mayer and Frantz (2004) proposed that their connectedness to nature scale (CNS) provides a measure of people's emotional connection to nature. After reanalyzing data from their article, collecting and analyzing our own data, and conducting a content analysis of CNS scale items, we conclude that the CNS does not measure an emotional connection to nature. Although results from our Study 1 and Study 2 support Mayer and Frantz's conclusion that the CNS measures one predominant factor, we suggest that factor measures cognitive beliefs and not emotional connections. Results from our Studies 3 and 4 suggest that the self-referential, less negatively toned wording of CNS items may account for differences in correlations, between the CNS and environmentalism (a measure of environmental identity) and between the New Ecological Paradigm Scale (a measure of environmental beliefs) and environmentalism, reported by Mayer and Frantz. In Study 5, we suggest that correlation differences reported by Mayer and Frantz may also be attributable to method variance, as opposed to content differences between the CNS and the New Ecological Paradigm scale. We provide recommendations for revising the CNS to focus on beliefs about their connection to nature.

The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature

Five studies assessed the validity and reliability of the connectedness to nature scale (CNS), a new measure of individuals’ trait levels of feeling emotionally connected to the natural world. Data from two community and three college samples demonstrated that the CNS has good psychometric properties, correlates with related variables (the new environmental paradigm scale, identity as an environmentalist), and is uncorrelated with potential confounds (verbal ability, social desirability). This paper supports ecopsychologists’ contention that connection to nature is an important predictor of ecological behavior and subjective well-being. It also extends social psychological research on self–other overlap, perspective taking, and altruistic behavior to the overlap between self and nature. The CNS promises to be a useful empirical tool for research on the relationship between humans and the natural world.