This article develops an exploratory technique for assessing environmental
concern using narratives. The technique is compared to traditional techniqu
es for assessing concern, such as measures related to the new environmental
paradigm (NEP). A national slavey asked respondents to rate outcomes of a
story with environmental consequences as negative or positive. Responses ta
pped distinct dimensions of concern from the NEP. Narrative responses also
added significantly to models predicting variance in environmental activism
.