IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i1p305-d1559580.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire: Validation Among Portuguese Population

Author

Listed:
  • Luzia Arantes

    (Águeda School of Technology and Management, University of Aveiro, 3750-127 Águeda, Portugal
    Higher Vocational Technical School (ETeSP), Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), 4750-810 Barcelos, Portugal)

  • Bruno Barbosa Sousa

    (School of Hospitality and Tourism (ESHT), Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), 4750-810 Barcelos, Portugal
    Applied Management Research Unit (UNIAG), 5300-553 Bragança, Portugal
    CiTUR—Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal)

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to validate the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ) for the Portuguese population, ensuring its reliability and applicability across the dimensions of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to sustainability. This validation is crucial for ensuring the SCQ captures local cultural nuances and provides reliable data to inform educational and policy strategies for promoting sustainability. To achieve this goal, a quantitative methodology was adopted, involving the translation and cultural adaptation of the SCQ into Portuguese. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 630 participants, aged 17 to 83, using an online platform. Ethical procedures were rigorously followed, including obtaining informed consent from all participants and ensuring data confidentiality. The factor structure of the SCQ was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The analysis confirmed a three-dimensional factor structure aligned with the environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainability, as well as significant correlations between these dimensions and real-world sustainable practices such as recycling and energy conservation. The results confirmed the construct validity of the SCQ, demonstrating robust reliability indicators across its scales and acceptable model fit indices (CFI = 0.860; TLI = 0.851; RMSEA = 0.045). These findings highlight the questionnaire’s utility as a measurement tool for sustainable consciousness in the Portuguese context. The SCQ provides a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, and researchers. For instance, educators can use the SCQ to identify gaps in students’ sustainability knowledge, policymakers can prioritise areas for intervention based on public attitudes, and researchers can explore relationships between awareness and sustainable behaviours to design effective programs. Furthermore, this study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) by enabling data-driven strategies to integrate sustainability education into curricula, fostering a deeper understanding of sustainable practices and behaviours essential for achieving global education goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Luzia Arantes & Bruno Barbosa Sousa, 2025. "The Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire: Validation Among Portuguese Population," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:305-:d:1559580
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/1/305/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/1/305/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rodrigo Lozano & Maria Barreiro-Gen & Francisco J. Lozano & Kaisu Sammalisto, 2019. "Teaching Sustainability in European Higher Education Institutions: Assessing the Connections between Competences and Pedagogical Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Marta Romero Ariza & Jelle Boeve-de Pauw & Daniel Olsson & Peter Van Petegem & Gema Parra & Niklas Gericke, 2021. "Promoting Environmental Citizenship in Education: The Potential of the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire to Measure Impact of Interventions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Mai, Robert & Niemand, Thomas & Kraus, Sascha, 2021. "A tailored-fit model evaluation strategy for better decisions about structural equation models," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    4. Niklas Gericke & Jelle Boeve‐de Pauw & Teresa Berglund & Daniel Olsson, 2019. "The Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire: The theoretical development and empirical validation of an evaluation instrument for stakeholders working with sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 35-49, January.
    5. Denis Michalina & Peter Mederly & Hans Diefenbacher & Benjamin Held, 2021. "Sustainable Urban Development: A Review of Urban Sustainability Indicator Frameworks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    6. Thomas Niemand & Robert Mai, 2018. "Flexible cutoff values for fit indices in the evaluation of structural equation models," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 1148-1172, November.
    7. Carla Rodriguez-Sanchez, 2023. "The role of social marketing in achieving the planet sustainable development goals (SDGs)," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 20(3), pages 559-571, September.
    8. Yonis Gulzar & Nisa Eksili & Pınar Celik Caylak & Mohammad Shuaib Mir, 2023. "Sustainability Consciousness Research Trends: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-26, December.
    9. Isabel Rocha de Siqueira & Laís Ramalho, 2022. "Participatory methodologies and caring about numbers in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda [Participation, citizenship and a feminist ethic of care]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 41(4), pages 486-497.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aslı Koçulu, 2025. "Promoting Sustainable Life Through Global Citizenship-Oriented Educational Approaches: Comparison of Learn–Think–Act Approach-Based and Lecture-Based SDG Instructions on the Development of Students’ S," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-25, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aslı Koçulu, 2025. "Promoting Sustainable Life Through Global Citizenship-Oriented Educational Approaches: Comparison of Learn–Think–Act Approach-Based and Lecture-Based SDG Instructions on the Development of Students’ S," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-25, October.
    2. Vazquez, Erik Ernesto & Patel, Chirag & Alvidrez, Salvador & Siliceo, Lorena, 2023. "Images, reviews, and purchase intention on social commerce: The role of mental imagery vividness, cognitive and affective social presence," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Chinaza Uleanya, 2024. "Sustainability consciousness in primary schools: roles of leaders in the post/digital era," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 21783-21796, August.
    4. Rigtering, Coen & Niemand, Thomas & Phan, Vinh & Gawke, Jason, 2024. "Intrapreneurs, high performers, or hybrid stars? How individual entrepreneurial orientation affects employee performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    5. Vicente Morales-Baños & Francisco José Borrego-Balsalobre & Arturo Díaz-Suárez & José María López-Gullón, 2023. "Levels of Sustainability Awareness in Spanish University Students of Nautical Activities as Future Managers of Sports and Active Tourism Programmes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, February.
    6. Biraglia, Alessandro & Bowen, Karen T. & Gerrath, Maximilian H.E.E. & Musarra, Giuseppe, 2022. "How need for closure and deal proneness shape consumers’ freemium versus premium price choices," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 157-170.
    7. Bachmann, Nina & Rose, Robert & Maul, Valeska & Hölzle, Katharina, 2024. "What makes for future entrepreneurs? The role of digital competencies for entrepreneurial intention," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    8. Yuan Feng & Chee Keong Khoo, 2025. "How Sustainable Are Chinese Cities? Empirical Insights from Eight Cities Using a Multidimensional Catastrophe Progression Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-26, July.
    9. Ahmed Eid & May Salah & Mahmoud Barakat & Matevz Obrecht, 2022. "Airport Sustainability Awareness: A Theoretical Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-22, September.
    10. Amith Khandakar & Muhammad E. H. Chowdhury & Md. Saifuddin Khalid & Nizar Zorba, 2022. "Case Study of Multi-Course Project-Based Learning and Online Assessment in Electrical Engineering Courses during COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, April.
    11. Carolina Feliciana Machado & João Paulo Davim, 2022. "Higher Education for Sustainability: A Bibliometric Approach—What, Where and Who Is Doing Research in This Subject?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-15, April.
    12. Rodolfo Gordillo & María Victoria Del Barrio Gándara & Miguel A. Carrasco, 2022. "Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Comorbidity between Depression and Aggression in a Child-Adolescent Community Sample: Nosological, Prognosis and Etiological Implications," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-9, April.
    13. Flavio Pinheiro Martins & Luciana Oranges Cezarino & Lara Bartocci Liboni & Amilton Barbosa Botelho Junior & Trevor Hunter, 2022. "Interdisciplinarity-Based Sustainability Framework for Management Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-17, September.
    14. Alba Manresa & Jasmina Berbegal-Mirabent & Úrsula Faura-Martínez & Juan-Vicente Llinares-Ciscar, 2021. "What Do Freshmen Know about Sustainability? Analysing the Skill Gap among University Business Administration Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
    15. Qi, Ruijuan & Khan, Ali Junaid & Basheer, Muhammad Farhan & Ul Hameed, Waseem & Chaudhry, Iffat Sabir, 2023. "Handling the mishandling: Resolving the resource curse through effective utilization of available natural resources and claiming sustainable development," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    16. Nicoleta Acomi & Miriam Lanzetta & Ovidiu Acomi & Gianluca Abbruzzese, 2025. "Setting Up an Educational Ecosystem for Enabling Sustainability Competences Development," Revista romaneasca pentru educatie multidimensionala - Journal for Multidimensional Education, Editura Lumen, Department of Economics, vol. 17(1), pages 159-179, January-M.
    17. Covin, Jeffrey G. & Rigtering, J.P. Coen & Hughes, Mathew & Kraus, Sascha & Cheng, Cheng-Feng & Bouncken, Ricarda B., 2020. "Individual and team entrepreneurial orientation: Scale development and configurations for success," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1-12.
    18. Mestawot Beyene Tafese & Erika Kopp, 2025. "Embedding Social Sustainability in Education: A Thematic Review of Practices and Trends Across Educational Pathways from a Global Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-20, May.
    19. Gyeongcheol Cho & Christopher Schlaegel & Heungsun Hwang & Younyoung Choi & Marko Sarstedt & Christian M. Ringle, 2022. "Integrated Generalized Structured Component Analysis: On the Use of Model Fit Criteria in International Management Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 569-609, August.
    20. Adam Przybyłowski & Agnieszka Kałaska & Piotr Przybyłowski, 2022. "Quest for a Tool Measuring Urban Quality of Life: ISO 37120 Standard Sustainable Development Indicators," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-17, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:305-:d:1559580. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.