Ecological Paradigm Scale Research Articles

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Çevresel Yaklaşımlarını Ölçmeye Yönelik Bir Araştırma: Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Örneği

Sanayinin ilerlemesi ve teknolojik gelişmeler sonucunda insanoğlu küresel çevre sorunları ile karşı karşıya kalmıştır. Çevre kirliliği sonucunda doğanın dengesi bozulurken bazı canlı türleri yok olmuştur. Çevre sorunlarının ve etkilerinin yoğun olarak hissedilmeye başlanması ile birlikte, insanların çevreye karşı tutumlarının belirlenmesi de önem kazanmaya başlamıştır. Çevresel tutumların belirlenmesi amacıyla 15 maddeden oluşan “Yeni Ekolojik Paradigma (New Ecological Paradigm-NEP)” ölçeği literatürde yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada da üniversite öğrencilerinin çevreye yönelik tutumlarını NEP ölçeği ile belirlemek ve bu tutumların öğrencilerin demografik, ekonomik, spor yapma, sigara kullanma, çevre dostu ürün tüketme, tasarruf yapma ve çevreyle ilgili bir derneğe üye olma gibi özellikleri arasındaki ilişkinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın hedef grubu, Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesinde okuyan öğrencilerdir. Araştırmada hazırlanan anket, üniversitede okuyan öğrenciler arasında kolayda örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilen toplam 420 kişiye uygulanmıştır. Kullanılan ölçekten “insanlığın üstünlüğü”, “çevresel felaket”, “doğanın üstünlüğü”, “teknolojik üstünlük” olarak isimlendirilen dört faktör elde edilmiştir. Ölçekten elde edilen dört faktöre ilişkin demografik özellikler açısından farklılıkları analiz edebilmek ve spor yapma, sigara kullanma, çevre dostu ürün tüketme, tasarruf yapma, çevreyle ilgili derneğe üye olma gibi etkenler arasındaki ilişkileri ortaya koymak amacıyla hipotezler geliştirilmiştir. Bunun sonucunda geliştirilen hipotezlerden 18 tanesinde anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu belirlenmiştir.

An assessment of attitude towards environment: a study of five star hotels in Rajasthan

The environmental attitudes of individuals are an important predictor of their behaviour towards environment. The present study examines the attitudes of hoteliers in Rajasthan towards environment. This research employs the Dunlap and Van Lierre's new ecological paradigm scale to analyse their attitude. The research is primarily exploratory in nature and comprised of 300 top and middle management people. The mean values ranged from 1.54 to 4.52 for odd and even numbered items. Three components have been extracted in the study. The Eigen values for three components extracted are greater than 1 (3.58, 2.00 and 1.757). This explains 73.37% of the variance in communalities. The NEP score in this study was 3.05, which indicates that ecological attitudes among the participating hotels were in accordance with the budding NEP. The study reflects fairly good intentions of the top management which can be translated into an effective environmental management plan for the organisation.

An assessment of attitude towards environment: a study of five star hotels in Rajasthan

The environmental attitudes of individuals are an important predictor of their behaviour towards environment. The present study examines the attitudes of hoteliers in Rajasthan towards environment. This research employs the Dunlap and Van Lierre's new ecological paradigm scale to analyse their attitude. The research is primarily exploratory in nature and comprised of 300 top and middle management people. The mean values ranged from 1.54 to 4.52 for odd and even numbered items. Three components have been extracted in the study. The Eigen values for three components extracted are greater than 1 (3.58, 2.00 and 1.757). This explains 73.37% of the variance in communalities. The NEP score in this study was 3.05, which indicates that ecological attitudes among the participating hotels were in accordance with the budding NEP. The study reflects fairly good intentions of the top management which can be translated into an effective environmental management plan for the organisation.

Modified Two Major Environmental Values scale for measuring Chinese children’s environmental attitudes

The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale is used worldwide to predict people’s environmental worldviews. However, some researchers criticize its unidimensional structure and limited ability to predict pro-environmental behavior (PEB). The Two Major Environmental Values (2-MEV) scale, which considers environmental attitudes in two dimensions—preservation and utilization—may overcome these deficiencies. To examine if the 2-MEV exceeds the NEP scale in predictability of people’s environmental attitudes in China and its applicability to Chinese children, we modified the 2-MEV scale in Chinese and used it to question 490 students (aged 9–12) in China. The results show that the modified version demonstrated good reliability and internal consistency. Furthermore, the 2-MEV demonstrated significantly a higher predictive power of PEB than the NEP. We thus contend the 2-MEV is a promising measurement for gauging Chinese children’s environmental attitudes. The application of the 2-MEV in different contexts and the improvement of NEP was discussed.

Environmental Worldview: A Case Study of Young People from Kosovo

Abstract Understanding attitudes towards the environment is important because they often determine behaviour that either increases or decreases environmental quality. In this article we investigate the environmental worldview of the young people from Kosovo. The New Revised Environmental Paradigm Scale or New Ecological Paradigm Scale, known as NEP Scale (Dunlap et al., 2000) was used. The study involved 330 young people age 18-20. 150 young people are from secondary schools, and other (180) are from some different faculties at the State University in Mitrovica. The mean score for the full NEP scale in this study was 3.48, which indicates a low endorsement of the NEP among the sample of Kosovo young people. The averages of the sub-dimensions varied between 3.08 (“Limits to growth”) and 3.73 (“Eco-crisis”). Like as others non-industrialized societies, young people from Kosovo tend to believe in the profound connection between humanity and nature, or there are no clear differences between pro-NEP and pro-DSP views. This study confirms the thesis that environmental worldviews differ across cultures. The mean value of the NEP Scale can be feasibly associated with various variables concerning general environmental attitudes. In order to discover the factors that create a pro-ecological orientation of young people in this country, additional researches are needed.

Food Purchasing Decisions and Environmental Ideology: An Exploratory Survey of UK Shoppers

Environmentally and ethically conscious food purchasing has traction with British consumers. We examined how broad environmental worldviews related to shoppers’ ratings of the importance of various shopping criteria, including recognition of eco-labels, by surveying 502 shoppers from the city of Sheffield, England. Environmental worldviews were measured using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale. Responses to the scale split into two dimensions reflecting the scale’s origins: the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP) and NEP subscales. Subscription to the NEP (ecocentric values) was associated with greater importance ratings of nutrition & health, animal welfare, the environment, Fairtrade, seasonal, local and organic criteria. Subscription to the DSP (anthropocentric values) was associated with greater importance ratings of quality, taste, safety, price and convenience criteria. Notably, subscription to DSP values was the only predictor of eco-label recognition score in a multivariate model. These results indicate that the NEP scale should be considered as two subscales. The results suggest that campaigns to increase consumers’ environmental awareness in order to encourage environmentally driven food shopping are likely to motivate only consumers disenchanted with technological and anthropocentric development.

Validity Evidence against the Children’s New Ecological Paradigm Scale

The Children’s New Ecological Paradigms scale was originally developed for children ages 10–12 and was presented as valuable for comparing that age group with older participants. This study uses cognitive interviews and measurement invariance testing to investigate how well the scores maintain the same meaning between these two age groups. The qualitative and quantitative results were consistent in revealing that at least 20% of the items function differently than expected when we use it for this purpose. The findings revealed similarities with critiques of the adult NEP and questioned the validity of the use of this instrument in its present form.

Multi-stakeholders’ preference for best management practices based on environmental awareness

Abstract Stakeholder participation is crucial in solving environmental problems, especially in rural areas. This research investigates multi-stakeholders environmental awareness and preferences for best management practices (BMPs) in water conservation zones of north China for tackling non-point source pollution issue. A sample of 287 stakeholders involving 62 environmental officials, 18 volunteers, 73 left-behind villagers, and 130 migrant workers were interviewed. New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale and Principal component analysis were used to evaluate stakeholder's environmental awareness, preference for BMPs and factors influencing awareness and preference. Results show that engineering BMPs generally have a higher acceptance than management BMPs which can guide proper farming practices to reduce the likelihood of contamination from the source. Among the management measures, the preference for nutrient management was higher than that of tillage management. Considerable preference heterogeneity exists among different stakeholder groups in terms of BMPs in the case study area. Overall, environmental officials and volunteers are more supportive for implementing BMPs than left-behind farmers and migrant workers. In terms of implementation, environmental officials and volunteers tend to pay more attention to both the environmental benefit and economic benefit, while left-behind farmers and migrant workers focus more on economic benefit. To gain more economic benefit, people in areas with low economic levels are more willing to accept these measures to improve the status quo of living environment and income. Principal component analysis shows that demographics (23.6%), environmental awareness (15%), policies (13.6%) and economic (12.8%) can influence stakeholders' preference for BMPs. The cumulative contribution of the four factors accounts for 65%. The results suggest that decision makers need to coordinate multi-interest among the stakeholders and emphasize stakeholder consultation to meet local stakeholders' needs. We provide implications to policy-makers for revising existing or introducing adequate incentives to motivate local stakeholders and increase their support for implementing BMPs, instead of using enforcement.

Assessing Environmental Orientations of Children at UNRWA Schools: Investigating Psychometric Properties of the New Ecological Paradigm Scale

The present study developed a modified New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale for evaluating the multidimensional nature of environmental orientations following a descriptive correlational research design. The participants of the study were 325 second and third grade students of both genders at UNRWA schools, Jordan. They responded to the NEP to investigate their perceptions about ecology, environment and the causes affecting their quality, which is of interest to environmental education curriculum designers for school children. The results have shown a significant and positive impact of the rights of nature, eco-crisis and Human Exemptionalism. The NEP scale has been regarded as a valuable tool for increasing the response rate, reducing the response burden, and improving the completion rate to check the validity, reliability, and dimensionality of the study tool. Therefore, the scale was recommended to be used as a valid instrument to assess lower elementary grade students’ environmental orientations and thereby evaluating the effectiveness of the environmental curriculum in developing such orientations. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.7. 8

Is Technical Efficiency Affected by Farmers’ Preference for Mitigation and Adaptation Actions against Climate Change? A Case Study in Northwest Mexico

Climate change has adverse effects on agriculture, decreasing crop quality and productivity. This makes it necessary to implement adaptation and mitigation strategies that contribute to the maintenance of technical efficiency (TE). This study analyzed the relationship of TE with farmers’ mitigation and adaptation action preferences, their risk and environmental attitudes, and their perception of climate change. Through the stochastic frontier method, TE levels were estimated for 370 farmers in Northwest Mexico. The results showed the average efficiency levels (57%) for three identified groups of farmers: High TE (15% of farmers), average TE (72%), and low TE (13%). Our results showed a relationship between two of the preferred adaptation actions against climate change estimated using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. The most efficient farmers preferred “change crops,” while less efficient farmers preferred “invest in irrigation infrastructure.” The anthropocentric environmental attitude inferred from the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale was related to the level of TE. Efficient farmers were those with an anthropocentric environmental attitude, compared to less efficient farmers, who exhibited an ecocentric attitude. The climate change issues were more perceived by moderately efficient farmers. These findings set out a roadmap for policy-makers to face climate change at the regional level.

Pro-ecological Views of Kosovar Teachers Measured by Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm Statements

Abstract The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale is a survey-based metric devised to measure the environmental concerns of groups of people through using a standard survey instrument. This is the first research to measure how in-service teachers perceive the NEP scale in Kosovo. The aim of the current study was to assess the concerns of teachers in Kosovo about environment in the age of Anthropocene by supporting anthropocentric or eco-centric views through using NEP scale as a standardized instrument. Thus, the research was an attempt to investigate how teachers perceived changes in the environment and how much they agreed with the 15 NEP statements. This study followed a quantitative methodology, employing a questionnaire to secure socio-economic data about the teachers, the information sources that they used for environmental information, their perceptions about changes in the environment in the past decade, expectations for the next decade, and the support of the NEP’s statements. A total number of 88 primary school teachers (teaching grades 1–5) participated in this study who came from three most populated regions of Kosovo. The teachers responded to the questionnaire based on their teaching experience, sources of environmental information which they used, their perceptions and expectations in the environmental changes, and their attitudes toward the NEP statements. The results of the research showed that teachers’ concerns about environmental developments were mostly consistent with the views of the NEP scale or pro-ecological worldviews. The survey results provided a positive indication that Kosovar teachers sought to offer a new eco-centric worldview for the next generation, instead of the anthropocentric one in which they had been living.

Ecological worldview, attitudes, and visitors’ behaviour: a study of front-country campers

ABSTRACTTourism and recreation have included attitudes in their pro-environmental behaviour prediction frameworks, though not many have assessed the cognitive and affective dimensions of attitudes in their analyses. In environmental psychology, environmental values are antecedent to attitudes, where ecological worldviews are reflective of environmental values. This study reports the influence of nature-based tourists’ ecological worldviews in combination with the cognitive and affective dimensions of attitudes on pro-environmental behavioural intentions. A sample of 1,009 front-country campers visiting Alberta, Canada’s provincial parks were surveyed. Analysis of data using structural equation modelling revealed that affective-attitudes strongly and positively influenced intentions to engage in nature-protective behaviours while camping; cognitive-attitudes had a non-significant effect on intentions. This is congruent with other studies’ findings that emphasize the importance of affect in influencing intentions and behaviours. Respondents’ New Ecological Paradigm scale scores demonstrated a direct, positive effect on camper’s intention to engage in pro-environmental camping behaviours. They also had a strong indirect effect on intentions through affective-attitudes. These findings suggest an emphasis on affect-based messaging to promote pro-environmental behaviour among nature-based tourists are warranted, especially when communicating to individuals who already possess pro-ecological worldviews.

Willingness-to-Pay for Sustainable Aquaculture Products: Evidence from Korean Red Seabream Aquaculture

A New Ecological Paradigm scale was used as a measurement tool to determine consumer perception of the environment through the context of red seabream (Pagrus major) aquaculture and the use of copper-alloy nets. To identify the underlying dimension of consumer perception, exploratory factor analysis was conducted, which showed that consumer perception comprised two dimensions—nature and balance, and human dominance—yielding two indicators as independent variables for a contingent valuation method estimation. The estimation results indicate that demographic variables and one consumer perception variable (i.e., the human dominance indicator) are insignificant. However, the economic variable, one consumer perception variable (i.e., nature and balance), and seafood preference are significant. Finally, willingness-to-pay was estimated for sustainable aquaculture products by comparing the mean willingness-to-pay within New Ecological Paradigm-level groups.

Measuring Environmental Perceptions Grounded on Different Theoretical Models: The 2-Major Environmental Values (2-MEV) Model in Comparison with the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale

Our study examined the two-dimensional nature of the Two Major Environmental Values model (2-MEV) in comparison with the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale’s unidimensional construct. The latter places respondents on a continuum from a bio-centric to anthropocentric worldview, where an individual can either have a pro-environmental (bio-centric) or an anti-environmental (anthropocentric) perspective, but not both. On the other hand, the 2-MEV treats biocentrism (Preservation, PRE) and anthropocentrism (Utilization, UTL) as two separate and not necessarily related components. The model allows us to place individuals into one of four quadrants, rather than on either end of a continuum, allowing an individual to have a bio-centric and an anthropocentric worldview at the same time. Students’ environmental perceptions were measured using the NEP and 2-MEV questionnaires. As predicted, high preservation/low utilization scorers preferred a biocentric worldview on the NEP; similarly, low preservation/high utilization scorers preferred an anthropocentric worldview on the NEP. However, the NEP failed to differentiate between the high preservation/high utilization and low preservation/low utilizations scorers. Both of these groups of students, while on different quadrants on the 2-MEV, cluster together in the middle of the unidimensional NEP. Evidence suggests that the NEP may not fully explore all dimensions of environmental perceptions.

An examination of attributes and barriers to adopt biomass and solar technology. A cross-cultural approach

This research is primarily aimed at analyzing the most favorable and unfavorable characteristics considered by consumers contemplating the adoption of biomass and solar energy technologies. The pro-environmental behavior, the level of anthropocentrism and ecocentrism in three different cultures are also analyzed using the New Ecological Paradigm scale. Based on a sample of 489 respondents collected by questionnaire, it finds the predominant view in the three cultures is ecocentrism. However, the study has allowed us to discover significant differences in the factors that stimulate or inhibit consumption in Spain, Germany and Mexico. Limitations of the study and the avenues for future research are also discussed.

An Application of the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale in a Greek Context

Measuring and analyzing public perceptions of the environment are becoming core elements in promoting environmental sustainability, which is a key goal to be achieved. The New Ecological Paradigm Scale (NEP) is used as a unidimensional measure of environmental attitudes as it is developed in order to measure the overall relationship between humans and the environment. A high NEP score is associated with high ecocentric orientation. This research aims to measure and analyze citizens’ NEP score in a Greek area. Overall, the statistical analysis verified the existence of the NEP subscales, indicated increased environmental awareness among the respondents and revealed that the respondents’ NEP score is correlated with the area of residence. Furthermore, the NEP score is correlated at a statistically significant level with respondents’ willingness to pay for renewable energy expansion.

Ecological Worldview as the Central Component of Environmental Concern: Clarifying the Role of the NEP

This study examines whether an ecological worldview—operationalized by the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale--serves as the source of coherence of Environmental Concern (EC). Using data on four samples from the 1992 Gallup “Health of the Planet” Survey and the 2003 and 2010 Chinese General Social Surveys, we found that in all samples not only is the NEP the most powerful predictor of EC, but it also mediates the effects of socio-demographic variables on EC as hypothesized. The results confirm that the NEP is the source of coherence of EC, making it a meaningful construct.

What do consumers think about recycling human urine as fertiliser? Perceptions and attitudes of a university community in South India

Sanitation systems based on source separation and valorisation of human urine can improve the environmental sustainability of wastewater management. Yet, the social acceptability of such new, resource-oriented sanitation practices have not been assessed systematically. We attempt to address this research gap by reporting the findings of a survey conducted at a South Indian university that evaluated support for urine recycling among 1252 Indian consumers. We place our findings in the context of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, quantify consumer attitude to urine recycling through an exploratory numerical approach, and identify explanatory factors that shape consumer beliefs and perceptions. Overall, a moderately positive attitude was observed: 68% stated human urine should not be disposed but recycled, 55% considered it as fertiliser, but only 44% would consume food grown using it. While 65% believed using urine as crop fertiliser could pose a health risk, majority (80%) believed it could be treated so as to not pose a risk. The respondents' ‘willingness to consume’ urine-fertilised food was found to be strongly influenced by their willingness to pay. Consumer environmental attitudes, as evaluated using the New Ecological Paradigm scale, did not influence their attitude towards urine recycling behaviour. We thus believe that simply appealing to people's environmental sensitivities is not enough for introducing environmentally-friendly technologies like urine recycling, but that more targeted marketing messages are needed. We find sufficient support among our surveyed consumers for urine recycling but highlight that further research is needed to identify what information and agency will help translate positive attitudes into action and behaviour.

Environmental Attitudes on Setiu Wetlands, Malaysia

This study addresses the attitudes of the urban and rural dwellers towards Setiu Wetlands conservation. The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale is adopted to measure the degree of environmental concern. A series of factor analysis and regression is applied to analyze the urban-rural attitudes and to suggest three factors structure of attitudes to wetland conservation. The urban-rural residential variable is able to predict in part the overall NEP scores and element of anti-anthropocentrism which suggesting the urban communities are more positive towards wetland conservation. Hence, further outreach efforts in rural population are worthwhile to raise conservation awareness.

Who cares about the environment?

ABSTRACTEnvironmental behavior substantially differs among individuals depending on their environmental attitudes, connectivity to nature beliefs, and socioeconomic profile. People who adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle and those who are unconcerned about environmental protection represent population segments with diverse characteristics. Consequently, this study aims to identify homogeneous groups based on individuals’ environmental behavior. A total of 400 Greek citizens completed a self-report questionnaire. We used behavioral items adopted from previous studies to measure environmental behavior and background variables to assess the socio-demographic profile of the respondents. Additionally, we used the well-established measures of Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) and New Ecological Paradigm Scale (NEP) to measure people's relatedness with nature and their ecological beliefs separately. Multivariate Cluster Analysis results indicated that participants can be grouped into two broad segments, named moderate eco-friends and non-environmentalists. Individual differences between the clusters were detected with respect to gender, education, connectedness to nature and ecological worldview.