Development of an Instrument to Assess Perceived Territorial Capital (PerTerCapSc): Reliability and Validation of a Scale Based on Inhabitants’ Beliefs

This article contributes to the existing literature on attractiveness and impact tools, by developing and validating a tool for measuring territorial capital based on the beliefs and perceptions of target populations, in this case young people. The tool was developed from 26 items selected through 5 non-directive interviews and 20 semi-structured interviews, enriched by a literature review. The results of psychometric tests (exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis), based on a survey of 400 young people living in rural area of Cameroon, led to the selection of a factor structure with 18 items corresponding to 6 components of perceived territorial capital. These are social and cultural capital, anthropic capital, institutional capital, environmental capital, cognitive capital, and economic capital. This research can be a valuable aid in enhancing the effectiveness of policies aimed at improving rural attractiveness.