The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP; Dunlap et al., 2000) is one of the most widely used scales for measuring environmental attitudes globally. However, previous studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding its dimensional structure, suggesting that it may vary across different cultural settings. Therefore, validating the NEP dimensions across various cultures, especially those from non-Western regions that have been less investigated, is essential for advancing environmental psychology and facilitating cross-cultural comparisons.
This study analyzed the structure of the 15-item NEP in Japan to examine whether its dimensions align with those previously reported. Data were collected from 1,200 Japanese adults via an online questionnaire survey in February 2025. The sample was randomly split into two subsamples of 600 respondents each. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using maximum likelihood estimation and Promax rotation was conducted on the first subsample. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then performed on the second subsample to evaluate alternative models.
EFA identified three factors: Ecological Limits, Anthropocentrism, and Technological Optimism. These factors explained 49.6% of the total variance and showed strong goodness-of-fit indices (TLI = .97, RMSEA = .039). CFA indicated an acceptable fit to the correlated three-factor model (CFI = .92, RMSEA = .074, SRMR = .063), supporting the multidimensional structure suggested by the EFA. However, some estimation issues arose, including a negative variance for Anthropocentrism due to the higher-order factor model.
The current findings indicate that the NEP's dimensional structure in the Japanese context may differ from that of the original and other international results, while sharing common characteristics. In particular, the weak integration of Anthropocentrism into NEP may reflect its unique cultural orientations. The results highlight the importance of considering cultural values to understand human-nature relationships and support future cross-cultural research on the theoretical framework of environmental attitudes.