Environmental perceptions and pro-environmental behavior – comparing different measuring approaches

Measuring environmental perceptions and pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) is an enduring interest in several research fields, including environmental education, marketing, policy sociology and innovation studies. A variety of tools have been developed to measure both environmental perception and PEB, challenging researchers to choose from the tools on offer. This study compares several measures, and finds that two widely used ones – the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale and the Two Major Environmental Values (2-MEV) scale – overlap, but have some significant differences. Combining the scales into a unified framework is possible, by retaining the ‘Preservation’ and ‘Utilization’ factors from 2-MEV and including an additional factor, ‘Eco-crisis’ sensitivity, which is uniquely covered by NEP. Results of analysis of PEB also suggest that the validity of Rasch model-based tools, which consider estimates of behavioral difficulties, is superior to those of widely used composite variables. Insights on other measurement issues are also discussed in order to inform researchers and future developers of measurement instruments.