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An understanding of children’s environmental orientations is of critical importance as opportunities for authentic contact with nature diminish. Current instruments for measuring children’s environmental attitudes are complex, and few have been tested across diverse audiences. This study employed a mixed-methods approach that included pilot tests, final survey implementation, and interviews to create a survey instrument for assessing the environmental attitudes and awareness of children ( N = 254) from different age (6- to 13-yearolds) and ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic, and White). Reliability and validity analyses indicated the scale was a psychometrically sound method for accurately and efficiently measuring children’s perceptions of nature across a demographic range. Eco-affinity and eco-awareness emerged as two distinct components of environmental orientations. This new evaluation tool may help educators and researchers examine the ways children perceive the natural world. It may also help to identify cognitive and affective aspects of existing environmental education programs that need improvement.

This study used structural equation modelling to examine the effects of sociodemographic variables and outdoor recreation participation on pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) among an ethnically diverse population of adult state-park visitors near Atlanta, Georgia, USA (N ¼ 319). Data collected through intercept surveys at three state parks were used to examine interactions among potential predictors of PEB, including socio-demographics (ethnicity, gender, education, and income), outdoor recreation participation (during childhood and adulthood), and environmental value orientations (biocentric and anthropocentric). The best fitting model accounted for 40% of the variance in self-reported PEB and indicated the strongest positive relationship between adult outdoor recreation participation and PEB (b ¼ 0.54, t ¼ 5.70). Biocentric and anthropocentric value orientation scores were also significant antecedents of PEB (b ¼ 0.17, t ¼ 1.99, and b ¼ 0.19, t ¼ 2.56, respectively), and both were influenced by socio-demographic variables. Overall, results suggest that a diverse public's environmental ethos and propensity to engage in PEBs could be influenced by outdoor recreation opportunities.

Researchers have recently begun to explore residents’ perceptions of short-term vacation rental (STVR) from both qualitative and quantitative approaches, but there is still a need for strong theoretical underpinnings to support this growing body of research. This study addresses this gap through applying a theoretical perspective that combines Social Exchange Theory and Weber’s Theory of Formal and Substantive Rationality to assess residents’ attitudes toward STVRs in the US city of Savannah, Georgia. Results from 384 resident surveys revealed that support for STVRs was a function of both the costs and benefits associated with STVRs, as well as perceived social and psychological empowerment from STVR development. These findings highlight the need for regulatory approaches that ensure STVRs do not infringe on residents’ sense of community and that STVR activity reflects the values and norms of residents so that STVR visits induce resident’ pride in their neighborhoods.

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