Environmental Behavior in the Private Sphere – Development and Evaluation of the Personal Pro-Environmental Behavior (PPB) Scale

ABSTRACT

Human pro-environmental behavior in the private sphere is an important factor which influences nature and the environment and thus can contribute to the management of environmental problems. Although there are a variety of self-reported measurement tools for pro-environmental behavior, an established and validated measurement instrument for pro-environmental behavior in the private sphere is still missing. Therefore, in this investigation, the personal pro-environmental behavior (PPB) scale, was developed and validated on 7000 individuals. In study 1, eight appropriate items were selected and the factor structure was exploratory examined. It was shown that the scale represents a multidimensional construct. In study 2, the results from study 1 were supported using confirmatory methods. In the final study 3, evidence for the validity of the scale were found. Thus, it could be shown that the PPB scale can be a suitable measurement tool for pro-environmental behavior in the private sphere.

KEYWORDS:

• Personal pro-environmental behavior (PPB) scale
• pro-environmental behavior
• scale development
• validity
• private sphere behavior

Acknowledgment

This study was partly supported by the Opel-Zoo foundation professorship in zoo biology from the “von Opel Hessische Zoostiftung.”

Author contributions

Conceptualization: MWK and PWD; data collection: MWK, VF, TJT, AMB, EG, MMGK, LPK, VR, VB, MC, VW; methodology: MWK and PWD; validation, formal analysis, investigation: MWK and PWD; figures: PWD and MWK; writing – original: MWK; writing – review and editing: MWK, VW, VF and PWD, funding acquisition: PWD. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the ethics committee the science didactic institutes and departments of the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.

Data availability statement

Data will be made available on request.