New Ecological Paradigm Research Articles

Pro-Environmental Behaviour and Sustainable Development: Evidence from a Survey of Lithuanian and Ukrainian Students

This research aims to analyse and compare students’ attitudes to environmental care in Lithuania and Ukraine using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale. The study also explores gender differences in environmental attitudes among students, and evaluates these attitudes using the Index of Environmental Care Attitudes. The findings reveal similarities and differences between Lithuanian and Ukrainian students, with Lithuanian students demonstrating higher ecological knowledge and a more environmentally conscious world-view. However, Ukrainian students show positive trends in engagement with environmental education. Gender-based disparities indicate that female students consistently exhibit stronger environmentally conscious behaviour. The study highlights the potential for Ukrainian universities to enhance sustainability initiatives and capitalise on the growing environmental consciousness among students. Overall, the research paves the way for targeted interventions and improvements in fostering sustainable practices in university settings.

Eco-Leadership in Action: Integrating Green HRM and the New Ecological Paradigm to Foster Organizational Commitment and Environmental Citizenship in the Hospitality Industry

The 21st century has spotlighted environmental sustainability in global discourse, urging businesses to act responsibly amidst climate change and resource depletion. This study explores the role of green human resource management (GHRM) in fostering the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) among employees, enhancing organizational commitment (OC), and promoting organizational citizenship behavior towards the environment (OCBE) within the hospitality industry. Findings demonstrate that GHRM practices, including green recruitment, training, and performance management, significantly improve environmental performance and employee engagement in sustainability initiatives. Data were collected from 382 employees working in 5-star hotels in South Korea, utilizing a structured online survey to gather insights into GHRM’s influence on NEP, OC, and OCBE. The analysis was conducted using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) to rigorously test the hypothesized relationships among these constructs. However, integrating GHRM with NEP presents challenges, such as aligning organizational culture with eco-centric values and overcoming resistance to change. Motivated by the urgent need for sustainability, this research underscores the necessity for integrated HRM approaches to achieve sustainability. A key motivation behind this integration is to establish a workforce that not only understands but actively champions environmental stewardship, thereby strengthening the organization’s reputation and competitive advantage. Additionally, challenges such as balancing short-term operational costs with long-term environmental goals persist, requiring strategic commitment and effective resource allocation. Recommendations include embedding sustainability in HR policies, providing comprehensive environmental training, incentivizing green initiatives, establishing robust monitoring systems, and fostering cross-departmental collaboration to reduce the ecological footprint. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on sustainable business practices and highlights the strategic importance of eco-leadership.

Post-Pandemic Shifts in Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors in a Marine Protected Area

Interest in understanding environmental attitudes and behaviors after traumatic events has been widely studied, but research specific to the COVID-19 pandemic has yielded inconclusive results. This study addresses a gap by exploring the relationship between COVID-19 and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) in marine protected areas (MPAs), which are vital for preserving marine ecosystems and biodiversity. We focus on scuba divers’ environmental attitudes and behaviors within an MPA, using a mixed methodology that combines surveys based on the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale with covert participant observation. Our findings indicate a moderate increase in pro-environmental concerns post-pandemic, particularly regarding nature’s fragility. However, a gap remains between expressed attitudes and actual behaviors, with notable differences in pro-ecological behavior during leisure activities compared to behavior at home. Additionally, risk perception related to COVID-19 has gained prominence, often overshadowing environmental concerns. This study contributes to a better understanding of environmental attitudes and behaviors in the context of MPAs during the ongoing social changes post-COVID-19. These insights can guide more sustainable management of MPAs and inform future research, which should further explore these trends in similar contexts.

Exploring ecocentrism and anthropocentrism beliefs of Gen Z: An Indonesian context

This study delved into ecological awareness among Generation Z using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale to discern ecocentric and anthropocentric environmental beliefs. The data was collected from 545 students across state and private universities with categorization based on gender, age group, year level, study program and area of residence employing a quantitative research approach. A five-point Likert-type NEP scale comprising 15 items was administered through Google Forms ensuring representation from each study program. Statistical analysis conducted using SPSS for Windows 23.0 employed independent sample T-tests to evaluate differences in Gen Z's ecological awareness. The results revealed significant disparities in Gen Z's awareness across dimensions including reality, growth limits, anti-anthropocentrism, the fragility of nature's balance and the possibility of an eco-crisis with variations observed based on study programs. Furthermore, age groups influenced awareness of the limits of growth and the possibility of an eco-crisis while gender played a role in awareness of the problem of the limits of growth. Gen Z's ecological orientations depicted differences in ecocentric beliefs by year level and anthropocentric values varied based on area of residence. These findings offer valuable insights into students' alignment with ecological principles and environmental awareness. This research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable practices and environmental education by enhancing our understanding of how individuals particularly university students, perceive and respond to ecological and environmental challenges.

Envisaging Participatory Management in Protected Areas: Local Response to Proposed Conservation Actions in Relation to Environmental Orientation

Involving local people in natural area management is very important to address the complexity of environmental management issues for the sustainable use of local resources. Participatory methods require the contribution of local stakeholders in decision-making. Mapping the environmental views of local communities allows for the detection of aspects that could facilitate management efforts. This research—in the frame of the Skyros LIFE project and the PAMNATURA project—measures the local acceptability of the conservation actions proposed by the LIFE project in Skyros island (Greece), in relation to recording local people’s environmental orientation using the 15-item revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale. The research was carried out by means of questionnaires. The LIFE project proposed actions were grouped into three categories according to their theme, i.e., promoting (a) nature protection, (b) agro-pastoralism and (c) ecotourism. The sample seems to largely agree with the LIFE project proposals, while the results showed high scores for most of the NEP scale items, implying pro-environmental beliefs, though there appears to be disagreement or neutrality regarding a few items. The local acceptability of the proposed actions was found to correlate to local people’s environmental concern measured through the NEP scale. Drawing on the results, the implementation of actions related directly or indirectly to economic activities and the preservation of traditional activities, as well as environmental education and interactive informing and consultation, could enhance local participation. Skyros island seems to offer an appropriate social background for applying participatory and adaptive management and implementing conservation programs.

Assessment on the Environmental Concern Level and Driving Mechanism of Beach Recreationists Based on the New Ecological Paradigm Scale

This study uses the new ecological paradigm (NEP) scale to measure the level of environmental concern among beach recreationists, innovatively constructs a model based on the measurement results to depict a group portrait, and analyzes the driving mechanism of beach recreation pro-environmental behavior. The level of environmental concern of beach tourists is 66.2%, which is slightly higher than the average level of Chinese urban residents, and is significantly correlated with age, occupation, education level, and income level. The newly constructed environmental behavior group portrait index indicates that the group that actively participates in recreational environmental behavior at Haichow Bay Beach includes college students, primary and secondary school students, retirees, and surrounding residents. Key factors in the generation of environmentally friendly behavior for beach enthusiasts include individual self-control constraints, regional ecological environment management, the improvement in environmental literacy, overcoming individualism, external environmental impacts, and environmental education.

Slovakia and its environmental transformation: measuring environmental attitudes using the new ecological paradigm.

Many scientists have studied the relationship between society and the environment. The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) has been repeatedly used for the analysis of public environmental attitudes, as the public pays increased attention to the environmental issues, sustainability, or the climate crisis. Our paper deals with the use of the NEP to study and identify public environmental attitudes in the Slovak Republic. We discovered a deviation of our results from the NEP, as we identified altered environmental attitudes, which we find acceptable, as environmental attitudes are a delicate set of values encompassing different, yet interrelated facets. According to our results, we were able to classify our respondents into those with technocentric, ecocentric, and resiliocentric attitudes, while up to 70% of respondents hold the ecocentric attitude. These findings could be influenced by the fact that no significant changes in the population's lifestyle have been required up to now. The NEP has proven to be an important predictive tool in assessing public environmental attitudes to determine readiness for environmental transformation. Nevertheless, we recommend using a combination of analysis that includes evaluating the impact of demographic factors to achieve higher-quality results.

Exploring Sustainability Concerns and Ecosystem Services: The Role of the New Ecological Paradigm Scale in Understanding Public Opinion

This study mainly explores people’s environmental attitudes and perceptions and their motivations for protecting and improving ecosystem services in Italy. The environmental perceptions of people were explored through the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale, a tool for gauging environmental consciousness and perceptions, especially in the context of ecological sustainability. Data were collected from a sample of more than 1500 respondents residing in Italy using computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI). The results showed that respondents have a high level of environmental concern for most scale issues. The application of principal component analysis (PCA) to the respondents’ responses revealed the multidimensionality of the NEP scale: anti-anthropocentrism (pro-NEP items), human domination (pro-dominant social paradigm (DSP) items), and limits of nature. The results also showed that socio-demographic characteristics and people’s knowledge and beliefs are associated with a strong concern for nature, which can support ecosystem service conservation. Different cultural backgrounds may place varying emphasis on sustainability, conservation, or economic development.

Drivers of Pro-Ecological Behaviour Norms among Environmentalists, Hunters and the General Public

The processes of industrialisation and urbanisation have substantially severed our connection with nature, causing detrimental effects on our ecosystems that underline the urgent necessity for sustainability-driven transformations. However, the dedication to sustainable practices depends on various factors and differs among different groups. This study employs the Value–Belief–Norm Theory of Environmentalism to investigate the impact of the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), Connectedness to Nature (CNS), agricultural land stewardship, age and gender identity on pro-ecological personal norms. Data collection took place in Malta, an island state characterised by competing pressures over its land use. To encompass diverse group viewpoints, purposive sampling techniques were utilised, engaging environmentalists, hunters, and representatives from the general public. The findings obtained from hierarchical multiple regression analysis highlight a noteworthy positive impact of NEP, CNS, agricultural land stewardship, and age, which collectively explain 40% of the variance in pro-ecological personal norms. The identification of these drivers can provide directions for facilitating the implementation of educational, environmental and legislative policies that can help nurture and foster a sustainable relationship between humans and nature.

Visitors’ environmental attitudes and willingness to pay for nature conservation: the case of Langtang National Park in the Himalayas

<p>National parks are a destination for nature-based tourism (NBT) in both the developed and developing countries. National Park visitors with pro-environmental attitudes may be more likely to support the management's conservation efforts. However, managing and funding national parks and protected areas is a significant challenge, particularly in low-income countries. Visitor entrance fees to national parks are an often-heard option to secure sustainable funding for the management. This study aimed to measure environmental attitude and willingness to pay (WTP) for park entrance fees of international visitors to Langtang National Park in the Nepal Himalayas. The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale was applied to assess environmental attitude, while a contingent valuation survey was carried out to explore WTP. International visitors of the park (n= 476) were surveyed over two years. The survey results suggest that national park visitors exhibited comparatively high pro-environmental attitudes, with a NEP score of 3.72 (5 being the highest score). Visitors were willing to pay a new entrance fee of USD 57.51 (mean) in comparison to the existing fee of USD 30. The willingness to pay a higher entry fee was positively correlated with a pro-environmental attitude and income. The increase in entrance fees could significantly improve the funding of national parks in Nepal and lead to an upgrade of its infrastructures without reducing the overall number of visitors.</p>

Uncertainties about waste using an online survey and review approach: Environmentalist perceptions, household waste compositions and views from media and science

Abstract Waste generation and subsequent plastic pollution pose a major threat to both human and environmental health. Furthering our understanding of waste at individual levels can inform future waste reduction strategies, education and policies. This study explores the components and perceptions among individuals using survey data combined with a mini-review. An online Qualtrics survey was distributed pre-COVID-19 following a global social media challenge, Futuristic February, which directed participants to collect their nonperishable waste during February 2020. Participants were asked about their waste generation, perceptions toward waste and plastic pollution issues, and environmental worldview using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale (n = 50). We also conducted a mini-review of eight waste and plastic pollution statements from our survey in both popular media and scientific journal articles. Survey results indicated participants had an overall pro-ecological worldview (M = 4.32, SD = 0.88) and reported cardboard and paper (66%) as the most commonly occurring nonperishable waste category. Across categories, food packaging was the most common waste type. Participants were most uncertain about statements focusing on bioplastic or biodegradable plastic, respectively (44% and 30%), while the statement on microplastic toxicity obtained 100% mild or strong agreement among participants. Uncertainty for reviewed statements varied depending on the topic and group. Popular media and scholarly articles did not always agree, possibly due to differences in communication of uncertainty or terminology definitions. These results can inform future policy and educational campaigns around topics of misinformation.

Exploring Directions for Uzbekistan Pre-service Science Teacher Education on the Ecological Environment

Abstract This study provides a comparative analysis of pre-service science teachers in Uzbekistan and Korea, exploring ecological footprint, ecological worldview, subjective happiness, and pro-environmental behavior. Using a questionnaire whose reliability and validity had been verified, an online and offline survey was conducted targeting pre-science teachers attending teacher education universities: in metropolitan areas in Korea and Uzbekistan. Independent samples t-tests revealed significant findings: Uzbekistani teachers exhibited a lower ecological footprint but shared a similar ecological worldview with their Korean counterparts, while also reporting higher levels of subjective happiness and pro-environmental behavior. The results emphasize the need for science education strategies tailored to Uzbekistan’s context, particularly the development of the new ecological paradigm (NEP). To enhance subjective happiness and pro-environmental behavior, we suggest employing pedagogical approaches such as case-based or phenomenon-based learning. This research underscores the importance of contextualization, with NEP development, and practical methodologies among Uzbekistani students.

The new ecological paradigm and consideration of future consequences; an integrated approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to narrow the research gap by examining the relationship between new ecological paradigm (NEP), consideration of future consequences (CFC), the intention to buy and the intention to pay a premium in the context of electric car (EC) purchase in India.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a structured questionnaire to measure the variables of the research. The study successfully obtained useable data from a sample of 491 consumers residing in India. The analysis of the variables and their relationships was done using structural equation modelling using SMARTPLS4 software.FindingsThe relationship between the values of NEP and CFC was observed in the context of electric cars that has a significant impact on the intention to buy and pay a premium. It also highlights the role of CFC future and CFC immediate on the intention to buy and between NEP and the intention to pay a premium.Research limitations/implicationsThe study only covers electric cars, and therefore further testing of these relationships is required in the context of other forms of environmentally friendly transportation. The results are generalizable across the potential consumers of EC but are even more pertinent to higher-income millennial consumers.Practical implicationsPotential buyers of electric cars, having a positive orientation towards the environment and also consideration for future consequence, were observed to have a stronger intention to buy EC. The study finds a way in increasing the intention to buy an EC by catalyzing environmental concern of consumers through CFC future.Originality/valueThis is the first study that has examined the NEP-CFC relationship, and provides evidence that the intention to buy an electric car is not only NEP (environmental concern)-dependent but also considers CFC's future orientation. This study adds the CFC aspect as another important variable regarding the purchase of EC, and proves that environmental concern is not the only moderating factor to buy an EC.

GENERATING GREEN ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDE

In line with the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs), environmentally friendly business is a new challenge in carrying out entrepreneurial activities. Research on the relationship between environmental attitudes and the formation of student intentions in green entrepreneurship is necessary. Entrepreneurship students at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Tarumanagara, were involved as respondents (n = 280) using a convenience sampling technique. The purpose of this study was to determine students' intentions in green entrepreneurship activities by considering environmental attitude variables proxied through the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) in the preparation of instruments. The results of the validity test showed that only 10 indicators could be maintained as a measure of environmental attitudes with a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.892 and a composite reliability of 0.911 so that both were in the satisfactory category. The results of structural regression testing show a significant effect of environmental attitudes on green entrepreneurship intentions at a significance level of 5 percent. R-square of 24.60 percent indicates the large contribution of environmental attitudes to this intention. The mechanism of the relationship between attitudes and intentions is in accordance with the theory of planned behavior while the transformation in the aspect of environmental sustainability is in line with the triple bottom line theory. Based on these results, it can be adapted to an educational approach or involving stakeholders in an entrepreneurship learning approach as a support for achieving Indonesia's SDGs in 2030.

Pharmacy students' perceptions on environmental sustainability in pharmacy education and practice

BackgroundGiven the negative environmental impacts of pharmaceuticals, including their contribution to healthcare's carbon footprint, pharmacists have a role in responding to the climate and biodiversity crises. Knowledge and education are required to support transitions to environmentally sustainable pharmacy practice (ESPP). The aim of this study was to explore Australian undergraduate pharmacy students' knowledge and attitudes towards environmental sustainability and ESPP curriculum content. MethodsParticipants were surveyed using an anonymous online questionnaire deployed using Qualtrics. The questionnaire comprised of two main sections: the 15-item New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale to determine participants' environmental attitude score, and section on students' perceptions and curricular experience of environmentally sustainable practice which was adapted from previously published surveys. The invitation with survey link was disseminated via social media, Australian pharmacy student organisations, and direct approach. Quantitative data were reported descriptively. Qualitative data from responses to open-ended questions were analysed thematically using a reflexive, recursive approach. Incomplete survey responses were excluded from the analysis. ResultsOf the 164 complete responses, 99% had previously received information on environmental sustainability. However, only 10% were knowledgeable about ESPP and only 8.5% were aware of ESPP content in their pharmacy school curriculum. Importantly, 70% of respondents saw ESPP as relevant to their future pharmacy practice, and 94% believed the pharmacy profession has a responsibility to undertake sustainability initiatives in the delivery of pharmaceutical care. ConclusionsAustralian pharmacy students lacked knowledge of ESPP and few reported having curricular exposure to ESPP content in their pharmacy degrees. Therefore, ESPP content is an important area for development in pharmacy curricula.

Zastosowanie skali NEP do badania świadomości ekologicznej młodzieży akademickiej Uniwersytetu im. A. Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

Introduction: Humans’ attitude toward nature, based on the anthropocentric philosophy and belief in human exceptionalism are the root causes of environmental crisis. New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) presumes to step away from anthropocentrism and recognizing the limits to growth, which is based on unsustainable exploitation of the environment. Worldwide, the level of acceptance for NEP is measured by the NEP Scale (New Ecological Paradigm Scale) consisting of 12–15 theses, for which answers are expressed in a Likert scale. Research Aim: Using the NEP Scale for examination of academic youth’ senvironmental awareness. Method: Online survey including a 15-element NEP Scale translated into Polish was used; for questionnaire and data collecting Qualtrics Survey App was applied. The collected data from among N = 260 students were subjected to ordering, re-coding, and statistical analysis, including descriptive statistics, frequencies, and t-test for the NEP index in the groups of genders, using SPSS Statistics 28.0.1.0. Respondents’ support for NEP was estimated by frequency analysis of “pro-ecological” responses, comparison of means, and the NEP index. Results: The frequency of responses expressing support for NEP was 74.5; the mean for individual questions valued from 1 (no support) to 5 (maximum support) was 4.13. The NEP index (scale from 0 to 1) was 0.78. T-test confirmed gender influence on NEP Index, which was higher among women than men (mean 0.79 vs. 0.72), with p = 0.007. Conclusions: The NEP Index values indicate the high environmental awareness of the studied academic youth. Higher support for NEP among women is in line with the worldwide trend observed in numerous studies, in which women’s awareness and behaviour are more pro-ecological than men’s.

Valuing Nonuse Value of a National Forest Park with Consideration of the Local Residents’ Environmental Attitudes

Valuing the nonuse value of a national forest park (NFP) is critically important to obtain a better understanding of its total economic value, beyond focusing solely on the recreation value. This paper estimates the nonuse value of an NFP based on the relationship between the local public’s environmental attitudes and their willingness to pay (WTP). The data collected on the local residents’ environmental attitudes relied on the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP). Residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the national forest parkland protection was collected using the contingent valuation method (CVM). The nonuse value WTP was estimated using a bivariate dichotomous choice model. This model analyzed the relationship between the environmental attitude scores and WTP in order to estimate the nonuse value of the NFP of our case study site, Dalian Xijiao National Forest Park (DXNFP) in northeastern China. The results showed that DXNFP provides 20.26 CNY (3.02 USD) in nonuse value per household per year in Dalian city, which can then be translated into 140 CNY (21 USD) million annually in total.

생태패러다임(NEP)의 관점으로 본 고등학생의 생태 관련 교육 경험에 관한 질적 연구

Objectives To explore the role of education in the transition to ecological civilization, this paper analyzed the current ecological-related educational experience in school education, focusing on the ecological paradigm (NEP).
 Methods The research method used in this study is a qualitative study using interviews. In order to understand the ecological paradigm of students formed through school education, 21 second-year high school students were interviewed with ecological education experiences and ecological perceptions such as ecological crises, fragility of nature's balance, anti-anthropocentrism, anti-exemptionalism and growth limits.
 Results Students' ecological education experiences remained in narrow understanding and individual-level practice, such as “personal practice-oriented education,” and “science and technology to overcome the ecological crisis” were considered important. It also understood humans as the “top predator of the ecosystem,” the most superior being in the Earth's ecosystem. Underlying these experiences and perceptions was the “university entrance examination, which is more important than the ecological crisis,” making it difficult to actively pay attention to and practice the ecological crisis. Focusing on the new ecological paradigm (NEP), the meaning of their ecological-related educational experiences was analyzed as ‘a peripheral understanding of the ecological crisis’, ‘inclusion to growth ideology’, ‘solid human exceptionalism’, and ‘human-centered dualism’.
 Conclusions In the process of transition to ecological civilization, education should begin with criticism and reflection on the overall structure of society, economy, and culture based on the modern paradigm.

Students’ Environmental Care Attitude: A Study at Adiwiyata Public High School Based on the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP)

Environmental care attitude is an important factor in protecting the environment. The Adiwiyata Award is presented as the highest recognition for implementing an environmental care attitude. The aims of this study are to (1) evaluate the execution of the environmental curriculum in Adiwiyata schools; (2) to analyze the students’ environmental care attitudes in Adiwiyata schools in the Pati Regency using the new ecological paradigm (NEP) scale; and (3) to examine the students’ environmental care attitudes in Adiwiyata schools in the Pati Regency related to gender differences. Based on the criteria of Adiwiyata schools, they were used as research subjects. The research subjects were chosen using a purposive sampling technique. A questionnaire was utilized as a data collection instrument. The new ecological paradigm (NEP) scale was used to assess environmental care attitudes. This study used a Likert scale to assess environmental care attitudes. The Mann-Whitney test was used to identify gender differences in environmental care attitudes. The results found that (1) Adiwiyata schools in the Pati Regency supported the implementation of environmental education in the curriculum, as well as participation in environmental activity programs and the use of greenhouses; (2) the environmental care attitudes of students from the SMA Negeri Pati Regency were in the moderate category; and (3) there was a gender difference based on environmental care attitudes, which found that female students have a higher environmental care attitude than the male students. Environmental education plays an important role in gender differences because the Adiwiyata school has integrated learning activities with the environmental education curriculum, and participatory-based environmental activities can improve students’ environmental care attitudes. The potential implication for policy and practice in the field is that humans will consciously prevent environmental problems from occurring.

A Mixed Methods Exploration of Postsecondary Education Students’ Environmental Awareness and Worldviews

Postsecondary education students are positioned to contribute to solving complex environmental problems present in the world today. This convergent mixed methods study aimed to explore environmental worldviews for undergraduate and graduate students at a public four-year university in the Southwest United States. The revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP-R) Scale, demographic questions, and three open-ended questions were implemented in an online survey to explore participants’ environmental worldviews. Using descriptive and non-parametric statistical analyses, the results of an online survey revealed that overall participants (N = 513) reported pro-environmental worldviews, and factors such as age and gender influenced environmental worldview scores. Moreover, identifying major and minor themes after coding responses to open-ended questions broadened the understanding of students’ environmental worldviews in the context of experiencing higher education. Although the present study had limitations, the findings can assist postsecondary educational leaders, faculty, and practitioners in developing and implementing pro-environmental or sustainability-oriented policies, practices, and programs on higher education campuses.