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

Abstract

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, proenvironmental 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 7-items version of the connectedness to nature scale: A study of its validity and reliability with Brazilians

“…Data were collected through an online survey including questions about demographic information, environmental attitudes and behaviors, leisure preferences, and frequency of participation in leisure activities. Some of these variables are part of a larger study (Rosa et al 2018 for review) and therefore not described here. In the current study, the following measures were used:…”

Field of study as a factor differentiating students' level of environmental awareness

“…Studies relating to whole societies (including cyclical studies) are often conducted (Kłos, 2015;Ministerstwo Środowiska i Klimatu, bd. ;Badania świadomości i…, 2020;Rosa, Collado, & Profice, 2018), as well as comparative studies between countries and societies using various data from public statistics and authors own research ideas (Schultz and Zelezny, 1999;Gleissen, 2007;Marquart-Pyatt, 2007;Mostafa, 2012;Franzen and Vogl, 2013;Kokkinen, 2014;Harju-Autti and Kokkinen, 2014;Rydzewski, 2016;Pisano and Lubell, 2017;Chen et al, 2019). The results of most studies show that respondents describe the state of the environment as unsatisfactory and constantly deteriorating, while at the same time, their awareness of tools and ways to care for the environment is increasing.…”

Exploring the Psychological and Socio-Demographic Predictors of Pro-Environmental Behaviours Towards Forest Conservation in Brazil.

“…The NEP has been used to measure environmental worldviews as well as environmental attitudes, beliefs, and values (Dunlap et al, 2000, p. 428;Hawcroft & Milfont, 2010). For example, it is quite common in the environmental psychology literature to use the NEP scale to measure environmental attitude (Hawcroft & Milfont, 2010;Rosa et al, 2018a). In environmental psychology, attitude can be defined as a tendency to evaluate the natural environment in positive or negative ways (Hawcroft & Milfont, 2010) or the "collection of beliefs, effects, and behavioural intentions a person holds regarding environmentally related activities or issues" (Schultz et al 2005;p.…”

“…Dunlap et al (2000) reviewed the original scale from 1978 (Dunlap & Van Liere, 1978) to rephrase some items that may have been considered to use sexist wording and balance the items in favour or against the NEP. They also expanded the ecological worldview facets hypothesized to consider the three original ones and include more two to result in five total: (1) the reality of limits to growth, (2) antianthropocentrism, (3) the fragility of nature's balance, (4) rejection of exemptionalism, (5) the possibility of an ecocrisis (Dunlap et al, 2000, page 432;Hawcroft & Milfont, 2010;Rosa et al, 2018a). Some researchers have critiqued the use of the NEP scale (Hawcroft & Milfont, 2010) and its suitability in developing countries, such as Brazil (Rosa et al, 2018a), and on the instrument's ability to transcend time and space to continue its application (Bernstein & Szuster, 2019).…”

“…They also expanded the ecological worldview facets hypothesized to consider the three original ones and include more two to result in five total: (1) the reality of limits to growth, (2) antianthropocentrism, (3) the fragility of nature's balance, (4) rejection of exemptionalism, (5) the possibility of an ecocrisis (Dunlap et al, 2000, page 432;Hawcroft & Milfont, 2010;Rosa et al, 2018a). Some researchers have critiqued the use of the NEP scale (Hawcroft & Milfont, 2010) and its suitability in developing countries, such as Brazil (Rosa et al, 2018a), and on the instrument's ability to transcend time and space to continue its application (Bernstein & Szuster, 2019). Even so, the scale is still widely applied as a standardised measure in several countries, including Brazil (Barradas & Ghilardi-Lopes, 2020;Hawcroft & Milfont, 2010;Rosa et al, 2018a).…”