The environmental action scale: Development and psychometric evaluation

• Published in: Journal of environmental psychology 2015-09, Vol.43, p.13-23
• Main Authors: Alisat, Susan, Riemer, Manuel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental action; Environmental activism; Environmental impact; Environmentalism; Labels; Leadership; Pro-environmental behavior; Psychology; Psychometrics; Scale; Students
• ISSN: 0272-4944; 1522-9610
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.05.006

The environmental action scale measures level of engagement in civic actions designed to have a collective impact on environmental issues. These actions are seen as distinct from personal practices because environmental actions are more collective in nature and focus on system-level change. The scale includes two sub-factors: one that is connected with what we are calling “participatory actions” and one that we label “leadership actions”. Each of the actions in the scale is rated for frequency of engagement. Following a rigorous six-step process, the scale was developed and proposed items were tested in a diverse North American sample. The scale was refined into the final 18-item scale which was tested on two additional samples; one international sample comprised of students from six different countries, and one consisting of known environmental activists. Analyses indicated that the final scale showed good reliability, and provided a valid measure of engagement in environmental actions. •The EAAS is an 18-item scale to measure level of engagement in civic environmental actions.•Scale structure includes two sub-factors.•Subfactors are related to participatory actions and leadership actions.•Exploratory and confirmatory psychometric analyses evaluated the scale properties in an international sample.•Analyses confirmed that the scale is a reliable and valid measure.