Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the sustainability consciousness questionnaire

Hiroyoshi Ogishima; Ayahito Ito; Shogo Kajimura; Toshiyuki Himichi

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1130550

Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the sustainability consciousness questionnaire

Front Psychol. 2023 Mar 15:14:1130550. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1130550. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Hiroyoshi Ogishima¹, Ayahito Ito^{1

2

3}, Shogo Kajimura⁴, Toshiyuki Himichi^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan.
² Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
³ Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
⁴ Faculty of Information and Human Sciences, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan.
⁵ School of Economics and Management, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan.

Abstract

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are required to be achieved by 2030, and measurement indicators are needed to properly visualize individual efforts toward SDGs. Here, we developed a Japanese version of the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ), the most well-known individual measure of SDGs, and examined its reliability and validity. Three online surveys were conducted with 1,268 Japanese adults. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Japanese version of the SCQ consists of two single-level factors: sustainability knowingness/attitude and sustainability behavior. These two factors demonstrated sufficient internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficient, which ensured measurement reliability. Additionally, cocorrelations with other scales indicated that the higher the level of sustainability knowledge and attitude, the less positive attitude toward climate change and the higher the level of sustainability behavior, indicating the construct validity of these factors. These results indicate that the Japanese version of the SCQ is reliable and valid.

Keywords: sustainability; sustainability consciousness; sustainability consciousness questionnaire; sustainable development; sustainable development goals.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by TH's individual research funds of Kochi University of Technology.