Environmental concern in South Africa : the development of a measurement scale

Abstract

A 32-item scale, based on a model of environmental concern using anthropocentric and ecocentric orientations as its two dimensions, and intended to measure the level of environmental concern in South Africa, was developed from existing similar measures and modified for the South African context.

Factor analyses of the data collected from 95 questionnaires completed by participants in the Western Cape and Gauteng Provinces of South Africa indicated not only the existence of an anthropocentric factor and an ecocentric factor, but also that these two factors were correlated sub-factors of one general factor. Participants who were involved in the activities of an environmentally oriented club showed significantly higher levels of environmental concern than those who were not. No other significant correlations between biographic or demographic variables and environmental concern were found. The internal consistency of the scale as indicated by Cronbach's alpha was found to be 0.91.