Validating the structure of the New Ecological Paradigm Scale among Argentine citizens through different approaches

Abstract

The New Ecological Paradigm scale (Dunlap et al., 2000) assesses attitudes, beliefs, values, and worldviews regarding the environment. Previous studies have found different dimensionality, while the consistency has shown to be acceptable. Objective. In this study, we assessed the psychometric properties of the NEP-R in a sample of adult people from the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Method. We explored the structure using an exploratory factor analysis and also an exploratory structural equation modeling. Results. Both techniques have shown that the bifactor model comprising 11 items yielded the best fit to the data compared to other models. Internal consistency was adequate. While gender differences were not observed, a high educational level was associated with a more ecological view, and age was inversely related to it. Conclusions. Even though good psychometric properties were observed, we remark the necessity for further studies in order to obtain evidence of the predictive value of the scale in our context.