Fg. Kaiser et A. Biel, Assessing general ecological behaviour: A cross-cultural comparison between Switzerland and Sweden, EUR J PSY A, 16(1), 2000, pp. 44-52
The General Ecological Behavior (GEB) scale was developed for cross-cultura
l applications (Kaiser & Wilson, in press). The present study compares ecol
ogical behavior in Sweden and Switzerland. Questionnaire data from 247 Swed
ish and 445 Swiss participants are presented. Reliability and internal cons
istency analyses revealed the GEE scale was applicable to both the Swedish
and Swiss samples. In general, Swiss behave more ecologically than Swedes.
Nevertheless, several ecological behaviors turned out to be easier to condu
ct in Sweden than in Switzerland and vice versa. The GEE scale takes differ
ential behavior difficulties into account that are most likely caused by si
tuational influences. At the same time, the proposed behavior measurement a
pproach guides the search for potentially useful political actions that mak
e it easier For people to behave ecologically in some societies and, thus,
can be adopted by others.