Environmental Paradigm Scale Research Articles

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.

Measuring Brazilians’ environmental attitudes: A systematic review and empirical analysis of the NEP scale

The New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale is the most widely used instrument to assess environmental attitudes (EA). However, the validity of its use in developing countries has been overlooked. Considering the importance of Brazil for the future of the environment, we present two complementary studies to examine how the NEP scale has been used in Brazil, its validity to evaluate Brazilians’ EA, and possible ways to improve this instrument. In the first study, we present a systematic review of studies that used the NEP scale (original and revised versions) with Brazilians. In the second study, we conduct an empirical analysis using the revised NEP scale. Results from both studies show that the NEP scale’s factorial structure can be influenced by the items’ positive and negative wording, Brazilians hold medium-high pro-EA, and that the scale presents low internal consistency. Study 1 showed that the scale’s convergent, predictive, and known-group validity differs across studies. In Study 2, the revised NEP scale was significantly associated with connectedness to nature, pro-environmental behavior, gender, and political ideology. These results support its convergent, predictive, and known-group validity. We conclude that the validity of using the NEP scale with Brazilians is questionable and discuss ways of improving this instrument.

The new environmental paradigm scale: Reassessing the operationalization of contemporary environmentalism

Researchers have long aimed to quantify environmental attitudes, subsequently incorporating them into more comprehensive models of values, attitudes, and behaviors. However, many metrics, notably the New Environmental Paradigm scale, conflate a situated, incomplete set of environmental attitudes with pro-environmental worldviews generally. Further, the measurement of environmental worldviews is often used instrumentally to engender pro-environmental behaviors, proving problematic both theoretically and pragmatically. Three dimensions are suggested to better explain the diversity of contemporary environmentalism—view of technology, view of societal response, and view of nature. This article argues that any multi-item scale will be limited in its ability to capture a dynamic concept like environmentalism, but when used appropriately quantitative scales can engender individual and community empowerment; therefore, reassessment rather than rejection is the appropriate way forward.

Students’ Environmental Paradigms: A Cultural Perspective

The nature of the world’s environmental challenges has changed considerably in recent decades. Environmental education is the primary shield against continued climate change. This study explores students' environmental paradigms from a cultural perspective. The study sample consisted of 322 male and female students from Kuwait University; the scope was twofold: gender and environmental knowledge. A self-administered survey questionnaire was used to collect the necessary data. The findings were as follows: 1) a valid and reliable Arabic form of New Environmental Paradigm scale was verified; 2) Dual beliefs appeared in the sample population’s responses about all aspects of the environmental paradigms; 3) Subjects showed the strongest agreement with assertions regarding the possibility of an eco-crisis and the fragility of nature’s balance. The greatest relative disagreement was with statements related to the reality of limits to growth; 4) pre-exposure to environmental courses has impact on students’ responses to NEP scale; 5) Females only scored higher (with a high score representing a pro-ecological belief) than did males. The researchers concluded that an environmental scale should be carefully constructed and evaluated with respect to characteristics of the cultural context, and especially the religious beliefs of the population being studied.

Perception, understanding, and action: attitudes of climate change in the Hungarian population

This study is based on a non-representative, national level survey sample whose main purpose is to interpret the general population’s understanding of climate change. The study also provides an examination of correlations between climate change concerns and the taking of individual action as well as the relationship between pro-environmental thinking and climate change scepticism. Our results show a moderate correlation between the general population’s concerns and the professional views on the subject, known in the literature as the New Environmental Paradigm scale and Scepticism scale, but a significantly weaker correlation when it comes to taking action against climate change. Factors relating to the respondents, such as residence settlement type, education level, gender, age, personal and social values, or casual attributions in relation to climate change heavily influence this weaker correlation. Most respondents assessed climate change as a current (urgent), but geographically remote phenomenon. This is a clear indication of problems associated with cognitive conceptualization and the localization of climate change in communication. The target audience must be taken into account when designing climate change communications because interpretations of climate change can vary widely and cover a broad range attitudes ranging from concern about to issue all the way to climate change scepticism. This also applies to views concerning responsibility for climate change with some believing it is a political responsibility and others believing it is a scientific responsibility.

Accounting for environmental attitude to explain variations in willingness to pay for forest ecosystem services using the new environmental paradigm

ABSTRACTIn the environmental psychology literature, the new environmental paradigm (NEP) scale has been used to measure environmental attitude as a multidimensional concept. This study is conducted based on this multidimensionality concept to analyse willingness to pay for forest management targeting non-use value ecosystem services. In most previous studies, the NEP scale has been considered as a unidimensional measure and directly incorporated into the modelling. Here, we outline the relevance of considering such multidimensionality of the NEP scale using a different modelling procedure. This is performed following two modelling approaches (1) a random parameters logit model where the NEP score is incorporated directly and (2) a hybrid choice model in which latent variables identified from the NEP scale are incorporated in simultaneous equations setup. In both models, the environmental attitude influences preferences and willingness to pay estimates, but the first one ignoring the multidimensionality tends to exaggerate its impact. The hybrid choice model shows slightly lower statistical performance. However, in this model, the use of two latent variables reveal a non-uniform effect and thereby clearly shows the relevance of considering a multidimensional NEP scale for a better understanding of variations.

Reliability of the new environmental paradigm for analysing the environmental attitudes of Senegalese pupils in the context of conservation education projects

The New Environmental Paradigm scale for children was developed and validated in Western nations but has seldom been applied in non-western countries. The aim of the current study is to examine the scale’s validity for schoolchildren in Senegal. The study was conducted in three regions of Senegal in November and December 2015, and a total 782 schoolchildren with an average age of 13 years participated. We used Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis to assess the consistency of the scale. The principal component analysis was used to reveal the different potential dimensions of our data-set. Given the low internal consistency of the scale and the unexpected responses to certain items, the scale seems to be rather unreliable for the investigated population. This difference could be caused by specific cultural features encompassing strong religious beliefs, different understandings of the place of humankind in nature, and weak awareness of humans’ impact on the natural world.

Assessing the Diversity of Contemporary Environmentalism: Time for a New Paradigm

The New Environmental Paradigm scale (NEP) is the most widely used measure of environmental attitudes globally, consisting of 15 unidimensional question items. Given the increased diversification of the environment movement in the 40 years since the NEP was introduced, this study used quantitative and qualitative methodologies to explore environmentalism’s heterogeneity and suggest areas in which the NEP might be modified. We fielded short surveys containing the NEP question items, and conducted in-depth, open-ended repertory grid interviews to supplement the survey data and minimize the priming influence of the researchers. Participants, despite harboring strong pro-environmental attitudes, expressed heterogeneous responses to the NEP question items. During the interview process, participants suggested a wide range of solutions to environmental problems, differentiating them on the basis of cost, scale, exigence, and agency. Despite expressing skepticism of technology in the survey data, green technologies proved salient in the repertory grid interviews. Differential analysis by age suggested attitudinal differences, but statistical significance was stymied by the small sample size. The results indicate that while aspects of the NEP remain theoretically relevant and analytically powerful, other components merit re-examination. The mixed methodologies suggest that repertory grid interviews can add depth and provide direction for construct development in traditional survey data collection. Further research could operationalize these findings with the goal of establishing a valid and reliable measure that expresses the diversity of contemporary pro-environmental attitudes.

VALIDASI PARADIGMA LINGKUNGAN BARU (NEP) MASYARAKAT DALAM KONSERVASI MATA AIR SECARA TRADISIONAL BERDASARKANGENDER EQUALITY: SEBUAH KASUS DI MANGGARAI – NUSA TENGGARA TIMUR

The aim of this research is to find out the validity of New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale to measure peoples paradigm and its relationship to traditionally spring conservation based on gender equality. This research used quantitative with survey method, involved 120 samples selected randomly from Manggarai. NEP instruments developed based on five dimension (limit to growth, anti anthropocentrism, fragility of nature balance, rejection of excemptionalism and possibility of eco crisis) consist of 60 items. For measuring traditionally spring conservation 17 items of instruments has been developed. The results of the research reveal that, 33 items of NEP instruments have high validity and 27 items were omitted because low validity. Whereas for traditionally spring conservation instruments, 11 items have high validity and 6 items were omitted because low validity. The reliability for NEP instruments is 0,910 (33 items) and for traditionally spring conservation is 0,773 (11 items). There is no mean difference for both NEP and traditionally spring conservation between male and female. Moreover there is five factors has eigenvalues >1,00 for NEP instruments, and its construct validity were confirmed that all factors loading which consist of 15 indicators are >0,30. After rotation with varimax method, it is found that 7 indicators have factor loadings >0,30 in more than one component, and so that 7 indicators must be omitted from measuring peoples NEP.

Amplifying John Muir’s life: a third sector intervention in providing alternative narrative resources to secondary schools

In 2014, Scottish Book Trust (SBT) published and distributed classroom sets of a graphic novel about the life of pioneering environmental activist John Muir to all secondary schools in Scotland, where he is still relatively unknown. This paper outlines the collaborative process SBT used in producing the graphic novel and sets out to trace the impact of this intervention through teacher and pupil surveys. The former survey reveals that not all teachers were able to make use of the classroom sets but that those who did found it useful in bringing up environmental issues in a range of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary contexts. The book served as a narrative resource for some teachers in designing lesson plans and even in designing entire courses. The pupil survey found significant mean shifts in the New Environmental Paradigm Scale for Children and the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale in participating classes and across all classes. Building on insights from narrative therapy and narrative ethics, we argue that shifting attitudes and values requires new narratives alongside new experiences and the space in which to dialogue about the two in community. Further research into reading and environmental education is advocated.

A Study of the New Environmental Paradigm Scale in the Context of Iran

Industrial and technological change and increased urbanization has altered the face of nature. And nature is being consumed in the production of material goods. Environmental crises such as the condition of Lake Urumieh in north western Iran demonstrates that unregulated use of the natural environment disrupts ecosystems that threaten the survival of plant species, animals and humans. Environmental crises can be facilitated by human's inappropriate activities that occurs as the result of people's attitude to the environment. The aim of this paper is a revision of the New Environmental Paradigm and an evaluation on the NEP scale of the citizens of Tabriz. Results of exploration of related factors determined four dimensions, while evaluations determined by the Dunlap and Van Liere scale showed five dimensions. Average for the factor of citizen attitude in protecting the environment was determined as moderate. Also, there was difference for averages for the factor of citizen attitude to the environment according to gender. Results showed that women had a more supportive attitude than did men. The relationship between factors of education and economic prosperity to the environmental attitude is being shown a more supportive attitude to the environment under conditions of higher-level education and economic prosperity. Regression analysis showed that education explains approximately eleven percent of variance in terms of environmental attitude.

A Study of the New Environmental Paradigm Scale in the Context of Iran

Industrial and technological change and increased urbanization has altered the face of nature. And nature is being consumed in the production of material goods. Environmental crises such as the condition of Lake Urumieh in north western Iran demonstrates that unregulated use of the natural environment disrupts ecosystems that threaten the survival of plant species, animals and humans. Environmental crises can be facilitated by human's inappropriate activities that occurs as the result of people's attitude to the environment. The aim of this paper is a revision of the New Environmental Paradigm and an evaluation on the NEP scale of the citizens of Tabriz. Results of exploration of related factors determined four dimensions, while evaluations determined by the Dunlap and Van Liere scale showed five dimensions. Average for the factor of citizen attitude in protecting the environment was determined as moderate. Also, there was difference for averages for the factor of citizen attitude to the environment according to gender. Results showed that women had a more supportive attitude than did men. The relationship between factors of education and economic prosperity to the environmental attitude is being shown a more supportive attitude to the environment under conditions of higher-level education and economic prosperity. Regression analysis showed that education explains approximately eleven percent of variance in terms of environmental attitude.

Ecological Worldview among Urban Design Professionals

The built environment is responsible for a large proportion of the global use of energy, natural resources, and emissions. Architects and other urban design professionals are key actors in the building process whose behavior and decisions will influence these impacts. Because environmental attitudes are linked to pro-environmental behavior, this study aims to measure environmental worldview among urban design professionals involved in the architectural competition ‘A New City Center for Kiruna’. The mean score registered for the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale was 3.68 (standard deviation 0.51) and there were no significant differences with regard to age (mean 41.3 years) or gender (64.7% males). The ecological worldview of the participants was similar to most other samples from diverse countries, but a lower score was reported in comparison to environmentalists. The score ranged from 2.53 to 4.67 which shows heterogeneity at an individual level. Thus, future efforts to improve environmental attitudes among urban design professionals are needed.

Environmental attitudes and adventure tourism motivations

The natural environment plays an important role in adventure tourism. Specific environments are often necessary for certain types of adventure tourism and unique settings are seen to enhance the value of adventure tourism experiences. Given the importance of the environment in adventure tourism, the interplay between humans and the environment in this context should be given further attention. Although much research has examined the physical environmental impacts caused by specific activities considered adventure tourism, the impact of the environment on the behavior of adventure tourists has only briefly been touched upon. Environmental attitudes are said to be an indicator of environmentally conscious behavior. In the tourism context, however, conflicting results have been found as to whether or not environmental attitudes drive consumer behavior. Therefore, the manner in which environmental attitudes, using the New Environmental Paradigm scale, influence the motivations of participants in adventure tourism is investigated using the case of commercial adventure tourism in South Africa. The results show that the environmental attitudes of this group of tourists were relatively low and that the links between environmental attitudes and adventure tourism motivations are relatively weak. Therefore, the impact of general environmental attitudes on adventure tourist behavior is questionable.

Anthropocentric or Ecocentric Environmentalism? Views of University Students

<p>An Indian proverb says that “the man’s heart toughen as he drifts apart from nature”. Living in harmony with nature is only possible by abandoning of mankind from its idea of dominance on nature. Deep ecology refuses the superiority of human against nature with a radical attitude within ecological philosophy, and it wants the individuals and societies to respect the nature by specially valuing it. One of the main research subjects of the philosophy of science is the relation in between human and nature. The opinions regarding whether the human is a creature who is superior than nature, or whether it is an integral part of it are important in the formation of environmental values and attitudes. And in this study, the relation of individual and nature is being addressed, and it has been tried to examine whether the teacher candidates have an anthropocentric or ecocentric perspective. This study has been performed in order to determine whether teacher candidates adopt the anthropocentric paradigm or the ecocentric paradigm in their perspective against environmental problems. The research has been prepared by using quantitative research techniques by the participation of 426 teacher candidates. Five point likert type New Environmental Paradigm Scale consisting of 15 items has been used as data collection tool. The data obtained in the research has been analyzed by using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for Windows 22.0 program. According to the data obtained in the research, it has been observed that the genders of the teacher candidates have no effect on their anthropocentric or ecocentric approach to environmental issues. Moreover, the averages of the students were higher in questions measuring the ecocentric approach within the New Environmental Paradigm Scale. The interest and protective style of the family has positive results on the teacher candidates in respect of anthropocentric approach. Nevertheless it has no effect when the ecocentric approach is in subject.</p>

Measuring the Potential for Ecological Citizenship Among Residents in Famagusta, North Cyprus

The significance of ecological citizenship for the sustainable urbanism discourse has been highly recognised in recent years. Targeting to adopt ecological citizenship as a lifestyle among urban residents appears potentially significant and urgent for the city of Famagusta, North Cyprus. As a result of unsustainable urban development, Famagusta dictates a new way of living to its inhabitants that is not familiar to them in terms of local sociocultural characteristics and environmental values. Therefore, a user survey was carried out among local people, within a random sample of 165 residents, in order to obtain scientific data that may be used for the needed planning policies. Within the survey, environmental attitudes of the residents were measured with the help of Dunlop and Van Liere’s New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale. The aim was to understand the level of their existing environmental worldview, one of the basic aspects of ecological citizenship. The results of the survey reveal that Famagusta residents’ existing environmental attitudes cannot achieve an adequate level in order to be one of the dynamics shaping their lifestyles. However, residents have slightly more than a medium level of environmental worldview.

Examining Chinese Tourists' Nature-based Tourism Participation Behavior: Incorporating Environmental Concern Into a Constraint-negotiation Model

Finding the balance between economic development and preservation of the natural environment is a challenging yet important task. This is a particularly pressing issue in the case of China, because it is the largest and fastest growing market for tourism. The purpose of this research is to examine Chinese tourists' participation in nature-based, tourism activities by incorporating tourists' environmental concern—measured by a revised New Environmental Paradigm scale—into a tourism constraint-negotiation model. The responses of 409 Chinese tourists show that environmental concern will positively affect tourists' motivation, which, in turn, will affect their negotiation strategy and ultimately their participation behavior. The theoretical and managerial implications of this study are discussed in the context of the tourism literature.

EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN N. CYPRUS

In recent years, environmental issues have been under considerable debate within the scientific community. In this context, environmental worldview has become a significant area of focus. In the light of recent studies it is understood that there are disparate variables influencing environmental worldview. Additionally it has been suggested that environmental worldview is a variable influencing environmental behaviour itself. As it is a significant aspect among the younger generations to adopt an environmentally responsible lifestyle, this study aimed at understanding the impact of several demographic variables such as gender and nationality on environmental worldview. In this research, environmental behaviour is further examined within the university students in Nicosia. A total number of 111 undergraduate students were chosen for this research. In the first section, several subjects were asked about their environmental knowledge and awareness. In the second section, with the help of Dunlop and Van Liere’s New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale, environmental attitudes of participants were measured, in order to understand the level of their existing worldview. Keywords : Environmental Worldview, NEP Scale, Survey, Undergraduate Students, Nicosia, Cyprus

Framing Private Sphere Consumer Behavior

This study investigates characteristics of consumers likely to be influenced by the information provided by an online environmental infomediary (OEI) GoodGuide.com, which advises consumers on the overall and specific sustainability attributes of personal care and household chemical and food products. The value-belief-norm theory and the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale were found useful in describing consumers more likely to be “green.” A series of logistic regressions, multiple regressions, and t-tests were used in this study. Study results indicate the importance of the value-belief-norm theory and NEP scale in understanding how consumers would choose to use GoodGuide.com information in making their green purchases and social interactions using social networking and mobile apps.

Modelling Environmental Attitudes of the Users of Kilombero Valley Wetlands, Tanzania

Development policies have for a long time made it more profitable for people to degrade than to conserve environment. The adoption of these economic wide policies by Africa especially during colonial time and after independence has resulted into erosion of its communities’ conservation behaviour and attitude. Although many studies assess environmental attitudes, those focussing on African regions or countries using New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale are very limited. Such studies in the African context using NEP scale are very important, simply because many people depend on the environment for their livelihood, and in the process they destroy the world’s valued ecosystems including wetlands. This study is meant to fill in the gap using Kilombero valley wetlands in Tanzania as a case. The study used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to predict the behaviour of the users based on attitudes, environmental knowledge and awareness. The findings indicate that users of the Kilombero wetlands have a generally positive attitude towards the environment, despite a great degree of variability among the study participants. The study shows also that a certain level of environmental awareness is needed in order to increase people’s knowledge about environmental issues and change their environmental attitudes. The NEP scale does not fully fit into the Tanzanian context, thus suggesting that further research into the adaptation of the scale is needed.