Dunlap and Van Liere's New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale, published in 1978, has become a widely used measure of proenvironmental orientation. This article develops a revised NEP Scale designed to improve upon the original one in several respects: (1) It taps a wider range of facets of an ecological worldview, (2) It offers a balanced set of pro- and anti-NEP items, and (3) It avoids outmoded terminology. The new scale, termed the New Ecological Paradigm Scale, consists of 15 items. Results of a 1990 Washington State survey suggest that the items can be treated as an internally consistent summated ratingscale and also indicate a modest growth in pro-NEP responses among Washington residents over the 14 years since the original study.

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New Trends in Measuring Environmental Attitudes: Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale

https://rug.nl/staff/e.m.steg/stegvlekencouraging.pdf

Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour : An integrative review and research agenda

We present a theory of the basis of support for a social movement. Three types of support (citizenship actions, policy support and acceptance, and personal-sphere behaviors that accord with movement principles) are empirically distinct from each other and from committed activism. Drawing on theoretical work on values and norm-activation processes, we propose a value-belief-norm (VBN) theory of movement support. Individuals who accept a movement’s basic values, believe that valued objects are threatened, and believe that their actions can help restore those values experience an obligation (personal norm) for pro-movement action that creates a predisposition to provide support; the particular type of support that results is dependent on the individual’s capabilities and constraints. Data from a national survey of 420 respondents suggest that the VBN theory, when compared with other prevalent theories, offers the best available account of support for the environmental movement.

/pdf/a-value-belief-norm-theory-of-support-for-social-movements-4eiyn3aly8.pdf

A Value-Belief-Norm Theory of Support for Social Movements: The Case of Environmentalism

Despite the wealth of information which exists concerning environmental behavior, it is not known which variable or variables appear to be most influential in motivating individuals to take responsible environmental action. A meta-analysis of environmental behavior research was undertaken in an attempt to determine this. An exhaustive search of the empirically based environmental behavior research conducted over the past decade yielded a substantial number of studies representative of a broad academic base. The characteristics and findings of these studies served as the data for the meta-analysis. As a result of the meta-analysis, the following variables were found to be associated with responsible environmental behavior: knowledge of issues, knowledge of action strategies, locus of control, attitudes, verbal commitment, and an individual's sense of responsibility. A model of predictors of environmental behavior is proposed.

Analysis and synthesis of research on responsible environmental behavior: A meta-analysis.

Concerns related to the environment are evident in the increasingly ecologically conscious marketplace. Using various statistical analyses, investigats the demographic, psychological and behavioral profiles of consumers who are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products. Finds that this segment of consumers were more likely to be females, married and with at least one child living at home. They reported that today’s ecological problems are severe, that corporations do not act responsibly toward the environment and that behaving in an ecologically favorable fashion is important and not inconvenient. They place a high importance on security and warm relationships with others, and they often consider ecological issues when making a purchase. Managerial implications for green marketers and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Targeting consumers who are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products

(1978). The “New Environmental Paradigm”. The Journal of Environmental Education: Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 10-19.

The “New Environmental Paradigm”

The Social Bases of Environmental Concern: A Review of Hypotheses, Explanations and Empirical Evidence Author(s): Kent D. Van Liere and Riley E. Dunlap Source: The Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Summer, 1980), pp. 181-197 Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2748427 Accessed: 24/08/2008 21:36

The Social Bases of Environmental Concern: A Review of Hypotheses, Explanations and Empirical Evidence

Past studies of environmental concern have measured the concept in many ways, often assuming that different types of measures are equivalent. In this study the degree to which different types of me...

Environmental Concern Does it Make a Difference How it's Measured?

The purpose of this study was to examine some conditions under which moral norms, i.e., respect for the health of others, would be expected to influence environmentally related behavior. In particular, using a model developed by Schwartz, the study was conducted to determine whether variation in awareness of consequences (AC) and ascription of responsibility (AR) were associated with yard-burning behavior. It was expected that respondents who were aware of the negative consequences which burning could have for other people, and who accepted responsibility for their burning and its consequences, would be less likely to burn yard or garden wastes than those who were unaware of these conditions. It was found that AR was significantly related to burning behavior, while AC had only a weak association with burning. Further, as expected from Schwartz's model, a significant interaction between AR, AC, and burning behavior was found. These findings are discussed and the usefulness of this type of model for understanding other environmental behaviors is considered.

Kent D. Van Liere

Papers

New Trends in Measuring Environmental Attitudes: Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale

The “New Environmental Paradigm”

The Social Bases of Environmental Concern: A Review of Hypotheses, Explanations and Empirical Evidence

Environmental Concern Does it Make a Difference How it's Measured?

Moral Norms and Environmental Behavior: An Application of Schwartz's Norm-Activation Model to Yard Burning1