Oscar Navarro

“Connectedness to Nature Scale”: Validity and Reliability in the French Context

Connectedness to nature represents the relationship of the self with the natural environment and has been operationalized using different scales. One of the most systematically studied in the Anglo-Saxon context is the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS). In an attempt to study the psychometric properties of this instrument in a French-speaking context, three studies (Study 1 n = 204, Study 2 n = 153, and Study 3 n = 322) were carried out in France to provide evidence of the internal consistency of the CNS, as well as its convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. Moreover, as anticipated, positive correlations between the CNS and the environmental identity and environmental concerns scales were observed. Based on factorial analyses of maximum likelihood and reliability, an improvement in the psychometric properties was identified by eliminating three items. Through confirmatory factor analysis, the factorial structure and the psychometric properties of the CNS French version were confirmed, as well as their significate regression prediction on eudaimonic wellbeing.

Introduction: Environmental psychology and quality of life

When examining human quality of life, it is essential to take into account the intrinsic quality of different living spaces, for example, housing, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces or, on a larger scale, the planet. This issue of the links between quality of life and the environment is becoming increasingly significant. Phenomena such as industrialization, urbanization, population density, and climate change are clearly at the heart of this debate. Ecological crises and environmental catastrophes have created new challenges such as climate change refugees, energy poverty, various types of pollution, and their impact on the well-being of populations. Moreover, the question of the environmental determinants of quality of life arises at all spatial scales; from the level of housing and the neighborhood, through public and institutional spaces to the global environment. In this Handbook, we have sought to show, through the various contributions, how environmental psychology understands the notion of quality of life and contributes to its definition, and how this concept, which is central to this disciplinary field, is at the heart of substantial research carried out over recent years in the different cultural areas of Europe, as well as in North and South America.

Análisis preliminar de un cuestionario de evaluación de la percepción social de la contaminación atmosférica

Objective To analyze the psychometric properties and the structural organization of a questionnaire designed to assess the social perception of air pollution and its health risks in the Valle de Aburrá (Colombia), a geographical area where environmental problems associated with air pollution have been identified. Methods A descriptive study was carried out, in which a questionnaire was designed and validated to determine three dimensions of social perception of air pollution: the socio-territorial dimension, the socio-cognitive dimension and the behavioral dimension. Some socio-demographical variables were also included. After the pilot study, the dimensions of the analysis were organized into 12 categories, made up of 111 items with Likert scales of four or five response options. The instrument was applied to a non-random sample of 318 participants, who were residents of Medellin city and Girardota town. Results After exploratory factor analysis (varimax rotation), the questionnaire was reduced to 68 items assessing seven dimensions of social perception of air pollution and its health risks. The total variance explained is 75 %, and the overall Cronbachs alpha reliability was 0.9. Discussion The dimensions found allow us to develop an approach to the structural organization of the social perception of air pollution in the context of study. Although some socio-cognitive and behavioral dimensions were confirmed, the socio-territorial dimension and the personal involvement variable were not configured as structural components and, conceptually, they need to be reworked. Confirmatory structural analysis of the dimensions of the questionnaire is required.

Preliminary analysis of a questionnaire for assessing the social perception of air pollution

Objective To analyze the psychometric properties and the structural organization of a questionnaire designed to assess the social perception of air pollution and its health risks in the Valle de Aburrá (Colombia), a geographical area where environmental problems associated with air pollution have been identified. Methods A descriptive study was carried out, in which a questionnaire was designed and validated to determine three dimensions of social perception of air pollution: the socio-territorial dimension, the socio-cognitive dimension and the behavioral dimension. Some socio-demographical variables were also included. After the pilot study, the dimensions of the analysis were organized into 12 categories, made up of 111 items with Likert scales of four or five response options. The instrument was applied to a non-random sample of 318 participants, who were residents of Medellin city and Girardota town. Results After exploratory factor analysis (varimax rotation), the questionnaire was reduced to 68 items assessing seven dimensions of social perception of air pollution and its health risks. The total variance explained is 75 %, and the overall Cronbachs alpha reliability was 0.9. Discussion The dimensions found allow us to develop an approach to the structural organization of the social perception of air pollution in the context of study. Although some socio-cognitive and behavioral dimensions were confirmed, the socio-territorial dimension and the personal involvement variable were not configured as structural components and, conceptually, they need to be reworked. Confirmatory structural analysis of the dimensions of the questionnaire is required.