Environmental risk to the self: Factor analysis and development of subscales for the environmental appraisal inventory (EAI) with an Irish sample

This paper expands the work on perception of risk to the Self from hazards in the environment by developing psychological aspects of ecological risk p erception, which have received little attention to date. Responses from 159 university students to a 26-item scale of Environmental hazard perception, an adaptation of Schmidt and Gifford's (1989) Environmental Appraisal Inve ntory (EAI), were factor analysed and a 20-item scale with three subscales was developed. The subscales represented techno-human, natural, and everyda y-life hazards, and these are the first subscales to be developed on the EA I. Psychometric properties of the scales are discussed and cultural differe nces in hazard identification are addressed. (C) 2000 Academic Press.