Development and Validation of the Energy-Issue Attitude Questionnaire: Relations with Energy Knowledge, Affect, and Behavior

Abstract

This study aims to develop the Energy-Issue Attitude Questionnaire (EIAQ). The EIAQ focuses on student responses to energy issues in society and includes ten constructs, organized pairwise with tension: energy-saving vs. carbon-reducing knowledge, having vs. being lifestyles, questioning vs. conforming to authorities, technology vs. nature approaches, and future vs. present goals. The EIAQ was validated with a criterion questionnaire on energy literacy, including knowledge, affect and behavior. Research participants were 4,689 Taiwanese secondary students. The results show that the EIAQ has desirable construct validity and reliability. Significant differences occur between the two attitudes in each pair. Energy attitudes have medium correlations with energy affect and behavior but low correlations with energy knowledge. The results of structural equation modeling show that energy behavior is directly predicted by `being` lifestyles and conformity to authorities, and indirectly predicted by energy-saving knowledge, mediated by energy affect.