Efficacy (Recycling)

What it measures

A three-item scale measuring a consumer's belief in their personal capacity to make a meaningful environmental difference through recycling and their confidence in knowing how to do it effectively. Items capture the impact dimension (belief that individual recycling matters), procedural knowledge (knowing how to recycle), and behavioural intention confidence (knowing what steps to take). The scale combines response efficacy (does recycling help?) with self-efficacy (can I do it?) in a brief, practical measure suited to environmental behaviour research.

Response format

Likert (format not specified)

Scale items

• I feel that by recycling I can make a difference.
• I feel that I know how to go about recycling.
• I believe that I know what steps I will take to recycle.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Single reliability estimate: α = .84 (Study 3, n = 107 undergraduates) — White, MacDonnell & Dahl (2011). VALIDITY: Not reported. NOTE: Response format not specified; researchers should select an appropriate Likert scale. The scale blends response efficacy (item 1) and self-efficacy (items 2 and 3) — researchers with strict construct separation requirements should note this and consider whether the combined index suits their theoretical model or whether the two efficacy types should be measured separately.

Citation

White, Katherine, Rhiannon MacDonnell, and Darren W. Dahl (2011). It's the mind-set that matters: The role of construal level and message framing in influencing consumer efficacy and conservation behaviors. Journal of Marketing Research, 48(3), 472–485.

Keywords