Abstract

Nazmiye Erdogan

This study was designed to test the reliability and dimensionality of the revised New Environmental Paradigm (NEP)
scale constructed by Dunlap et al., (2000) and to examine the extent to which university students in Turkey are
endorsing the NEP. A sample of 1295 undergraduate students from four universities in Turkey was selected for the
study. Students’ worldviews were measured by the NEP scale which consisted of 15 statements. A self-administered
survey questionnaire was used to collect the necessary data. Findings from the study indicate that there is no
widespread support for the NEP: 56.0% of students hold pro-NEP views while 24.9% embrace pro-DSP views and
19.1% have ambivalent views. It was found that the NEP scale has low consistency and four dimensions, thus, the
NEP items should be taken cautiously as a single (unidimensional) internally consistent measuring device. It was
concluded that the NEP scale should be carefully constructed and evaluated according to the historical and cultural
context and characteristics of the population under study.