Search

The principal objective of this research is to test the factorial structure of the New Ecological Paradigm scale on a population of men and women residing in France. The tested model is a second-order factorial model. This factorial structure is evaluated on two separate samples to test the stability of the solution (a first sample of 253 participants, diversified in terms of age and socioprofessional category, and a second sample of 266 students). The results confirm the existence of a second-order factorial structure in which environmental beliefs, measured based on 13 items taken from the New Ecological Paradigm scale, would constitute a homogeneous system of beliefs supported in five distinct dimensions.

Studies on place identity show positive relationships between the evaluation of a place and mechanisms involved in place identification. However, individuals also identify with places of low social prestige (places that bear a negative social image). Few authors investigate the nature of place identity processes in this case. The goal of this study is to highlight the specific connections between the three components of place identification, place attachment, place dependence, and group identity, which depend on the social evaluation of the environmental context (negative vs. positive image). The author uses self-administered questionnaires to interview 542 high-school students, to collect data on the basis of these three dimensions of their high school place identity, and their evaluation of their high school's image. Results show positive relationships between the students' evaluation of his or her high-school's image and his or her place identity. However, findings show that some students reported strong place identification even though they had rated their high school as having low social prestige (negative image). Findings also show that such place identification occurred through strong attachment ties, which were a strong influence. (Contains 6 tables.)

Like neighbourhoods, companies or housing, schools are considered a location for which the student must develop feelings of attachment and identification. The purpose of this research is to test a path model in which the evaluation of the image of the scholastic institution plays a role in the process of sociospatial identification in the school place; this identification is itself involved in the development and maintenance of positive academic self-esteem. Two hundred and seventy-eight students registered at secondary schools participated in the research by responding to a questionnaire composed of a series of scales. The results show a good fit between the model and the data, since the students' self-esteem proved to be partially explained by the quality of their identification with their institution. The status of the level of sociospatial identification as a mediator variable was also confirmed.

Well‐being is transversal to different urban‐related challenges such as increasing urbanization or adaptation to the effects of climate change. One possible response to these challenges is the use of nature in cities. The aim of this study is to investigate how the objective quantity of natural space near the home, the perception of these natural elements, and their perceived availability, moderated by the effect of connectedness to nature, could explain levels of well‐being. A survey was conducted among a sample of 1343 participants living in seven European cities. Data were collected online via a questionnaire. Indicators of the objective quantity of urban natural space based on remotely sensed satellite imagery were also used. Regression models highlight the association between well‐being and perceived amount of nature, accessibility to a community garden, and level of connectedness to nature. A moderating and negative effect of connectedness to nature on the association between the perceived quantity of nature and well‐being was also identified. Perception of nature seems to be a better indicator of well‐being than the objective one. Results highlight the importance of the social dimension of collective gardens in enhancing well‐being. Connectedness to nature could facilitate appropriation of natural elements and its effects on well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of re‐greening of urban spaces, it is crucial to examine the impact of green spaces on the population. In this qualitative study carried out in France (Nantes), 28 people with a plot in an allotment garden were questioned through semi‐directive interviews about the psychosocial impact of this type of space. Using thematic and lexicometric analyses, the different psychosocial benefits of these spaces are highlighted and put into perspective with the conflicts occurring there. The content analysis foregrounded the benefits of allotment garden regarding psychological well‐being, (notably through the feeling of flow), physical health, self‐development and social bonding. Nevertheless, these benefits are balanced by the different conflicts reported by the participants. By showing that positive and negative social aspects are significantly associated in the participants' discourse, the lexicometric analysis strengthened the idea that these elements must be considered jointly to better describe the reality of allotment gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the connections between an individual's satisfaction with his or her neighborhood and the processes of identifying with the location? A path model was tested in which the length of residence promotes the identification processes, which are in turn likely to influence the degree of satisfaction with the residential environment. The components of residential satisfaction were also isolated to show that all the components of satisfaction are not equally affected by identification. A survey was taken with a sampling of 257 participants all residing in an urban environment in three major French cities. A scale of residential satisfaction and a scale of place identification were used. The tested model shows a good fit with the data. Furthermore, the results show that an individual's sense of identification with his or her neighborhood interacts primarily with the social aspects of satisfaction. Keywords: place identification; residential satisfaction; neighborhood; length of residence

This research addressed environmental risk perception depending on the target evaluated and on the category of hazard (technological and chemical hazards, climate change, loss of biodiversity). Correlations between environmental risk assessment and pro-environmental behavioural intentions were also tested. In a sample of 113 French adults, 15 different environmental risks were evaluated for four different risk targets (oneself, the inhabitants of the town, the inhabitants of the country, and humanity). As expected, environmental hazards were perceived as a greater risk for larger areas. Moreover, risks difficult to conceptualise, which contain both high uncertainty and long term consequences (climate change, loss of biodiversity) are perceived as less risk to oneself and to the inhabitants of the town and the country of residence than more concrete and immediate risks (technological and chemical). Only the technological and chemical hazards significantly predict pro-environmental behavioural intentions.

The increasing vulnerability of coastal areas to climate change and coastal Risks, is now clearly established due to sea level rise. These events, which have become commonplace, constitute a danger for residents and for public facilities, roads, homes, etc. and make these areas more and more vulnerable. Although measures to reduce this vulnerability of coastal cities have been identified by experts and authorities, a resistance exists to their implementation by the inhabitants of these areas exposed to coastal risks. The aim of our study is to investigate risk perception and coping strategies used by inhabitants of areas at risk of coastal flooding and coastal erosion, and to identify potential differences between these two types of coastal risks. More precisely, this study seeks to identify the major predictors of the willingness to cope using Bayesian regression. 208 inhabitants of coastal areas exposed at risk of coastal flooding and erosion in Pays de la Loire, region of western France, participated to our study. Results reveal that coastal erosion is perceived as a greater threat, essentially because it is perceived as more frightening than coastal flooding. Moreover, our results showed that past experiences of coastal risks had an impact on the willingness to use active coping strategies and that there were major differences in the choice of strategy depending on the risks. These results are discussed in terms of risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]