The New Ecological Paradigm in Social-Psychological Context

The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale is the most frequently used measure of environmental concern, but it has not been placed in the context of a social-psychological theory of attitude formation or attitude-behavior relationships. Using data from a northern Virginia sample, this study examines N...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment and behavior 1995-11, Vol.27 (6), p.723-743
Main Authors: Stern, Paul C., Dietz, Thomas, Guagnano, Gregory A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Attitude formation
Attitude Measures
Beliefs
Concerns
Ecological effects
Ecological Models
Ecological monitoring
Ecology
Environment
Environmental Attitudes
Environmental issues
Environmental protection
Environmental quality
Mathematical models
Measures
Orientation
Psychological tests
Psychosocial aspects
Research Methodology
Social psychology
Values
Virginia
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Summary:The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale is the most frequently used measure of environmental concern, but it has not been placed in the context of a social-psychological theory of attitude formation or attitude-behavior relationships. Using data from a northern Virginia sample, this study examines NEP in relation to the variables in a theoretical model of environmental concern. We found that the NEP is indistinguishable from a scale of awareness of consequences (AC) of general environmental conditions, both psychometrically and in terms of its relations to behavioral intentions, but somewhat different in its relations to basic value orientations and sociodemographic variables. We conclude that both NEP and AC measure generalized beliefs about the nature of human-environment interactions-or "folk ecology"—a set of beliefs that may be influenced by social structure and values and that influence attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral intentions regarding specific environmental conditions.
ISSN:0013-9165
1552-390X
DOI:10.1177/0013916595276001