Public Opinion about the Environment: Testing Measurement Equivalence across Countries

Abstract

Environmental issues and opinions are increasingly recognized as topics of importance to a global audience. Scholars in the social sciences seek to describe trends in public opinion about environmental concerns cross-nationally, yet use a variety of measures and analytical techniques for such work. Although an understudied topic, the question of measurement comparability across contexts is important for this line of inquiry. This research examines public opinion on the environment in a cross-national context using the 2010 International Social Survey Program (ISSP) Environment data. I use structural equation modeling with latent variables to construct a latent measure of environmental risk perception across 32 countries. I examine the composition, level, and distribution of the latent construct environmental risk perception cross-nationally, with comparisons across regional groups. Particular attention is given to how structural equation modeling can be used as a tool for testing measurement equivalence in cross-national research.

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