Defining and measuring environmental consciousness

Abstract

AbstrActbased on a review of the main analytical approaches found in the literature, in this paper we establish a multidimensional and behaviour-oriented definition of environmental consciousness. We propose a method to operationalize this definition with the final aim of obtaining summary measures (or indexes) of this phenomenon which can be applied to different social contexts and time periods. the data obtained from a survey on environmental attitudes and behaviour conducted in 2004 among andalusians (ecobarómetro de andalucía 2004) is used as an empirical basis for the proposed operationalization. the resulting measures are then employed to identify social groups according to the diverse forms of their environmental consciousness and to explore their basic socio-demographic profiles. Keywordsenvironmental concern, environmental attitudes, Pro-environmental behavior. resumen a partir de las principales aproximaciones analíticas presentes en la literatura, en este trabajo establecemos una definición de conciencia ambiental multidimensional y orientada a la conducta; proponemos un método para su operacionalización con el objetivo de elaborar medidas sintéticas de este fenómeno en distintos contextos sociales. la operacionalización propuesta utiliza como base empírica los resultados del ecobarómetro de andalucía (eba 2004). los indicadores resultantes son utilizados seguidamente para identificar distintos grupos sociales según la naturaleza de su conciencia ambiental. PAlAbrAs clAveactitudes ambientales, comportamiento proambiental, Preocupación ambiental.revistA internAcionAl de sociologíA (ris)

Evaluating determinants of rural Villagers’ engagement in conservation and waste management behaviors based on integrated conceptual framework of Pro-environmental behavior

“…The scale ranged from 1 (Do not understand at all) to 5 (Well understand). For the measurement of sense of obligation and self-efficacy, the questions developed by Sanchez (2010) were adapted. Sanchez (2010) suggests that individuals’ expression of their acceptance of “paying more money to purchase green products or services for environmental and ecological protection” can reflect individuals’ sense of obligation.…”

“…According to TPB, feelings of self-efficacy, referring to individuals’ perception of the significance of their contribution to solving environmental problems (Sanchez 2010), has a strong influence on an individual’s motivation to engage in PEB. If an individual has a feeling of high self-efficacy, he or she is likely to make a rational decision to engage in PEBs.…”

“…Besides self-efficacy, VBN theory also indicates the significance of personal moral norms on an individual’s predisposition to PEB. Sense of obligation or moral obligation, referring to individuals’ perceived responsibility to behave environmentally (Sanchez 2010), is considered as a personal norm. An individual, having high moral obligation, is more likely to partake in PEBs.…”

Public Attitudes toward Water Management Measures and Droughts: A Study in Southern Spain

“…The EBA is designed on the basis of the concept of environmental awareness, which is defined as "the set of perceptions, opinions and knowledge of the public concerning the environment, as well as their attitude, behaviour and willingness to take action (individually and collectively) towards the mitigation of environmental problems" [27] (p. 8). From an analytical perspective, the concept of environmental awareness embraces several dimensions, including the emotional (concerns, beliefs and values), the cognitive (information and knowledge) and the active (individual and collective action) [26]. The combination of these three dimensions reflect public preferences concerning environmental policies, including those aimed at increasing the availability of hydrological resources and those aimed at rationalizing or even limiting its consumption [27].…”

Conocimiento, valores e intenciones como determinantes del comportamiento ecológico

“…Siguiendo la teoría de la acción razonada (Fishbein y Ajzen 1975) y su extensión, la teoría de la acción planificada (Ajzen 1991), una actitud se define como «el sentimiento positivo o negativo que un individuo tiene sobre un objeto, un aspecto del mundo físico, una persona, un concepto abstracto o un comportamiento determinado» y se compone de: lo que piensa, lo que siente y su predisposición a manifestar lo que piensa y siente. De este modo, para los propósitos de esta investigación la actitud ambiental o hacia el medio ambiente es entendida como el conjunto de factores psicológicos específicos relacionados con la propensión de los individuos para llevar a cabo comportamientos proambientales o ecológicos (Aguilar-Luzón et al 2012;Jiménez y Lafuente 2010;Bamberg y Möser 2007;Fraj y Martínez 2006;Milfont y Duckitt 2004;Kaiser et al 1999;Hines, Hungerford y Tomera 1987), formada por tres elementos: 1) el conocimiento sobre los problemas ambientales que una persona ha adquirido a través de su tradición cultural, de la difusión en los medios de comunicación de conocimientos científicos y de su propia experiencia (Frick, Kaiser y Wilson 2004;Barreiro, López, Losada y Ruzo 2002), cuestiones que le permiten configurar lo que piensa sobre el medio ambiente; 2) los sentimientos que genera el medio ambiente en base a los valores y creencias del propio individuo y que guiarán sus acciones (González y Amérigo 1998;Stern y Dietz 1994;Stern, Dietz y Kalof 1993); y, por último 3) la intención o disposición a realizar la acción de comportarse de forma ecológica (Castro 2002). Los tres componentes de la actitud, esto es, el conocimiento, los valores y la intención de comportamiento, se conforman como los principales antecedentes del comportamiento ecológico y, de un modo similar a como lo han presentado Kaiser et al (íbid.…”