Scales and Statements |
Mean |
Pollution Sensitivity Scale |
Highest ranked statements |
Air pollution from trucks, buses, cars |
4.95 |
Polluted rivers, harbors, lakes, or ocean |
4.68 |
Pesticides - insect sprays, lawn chemicals, etc. |
4.60 |
Pesticides, hormones, antibiotics in our food |
4.42 |
Lowest ranked statements |
Radiation from nuclear power plant |
0.96 |
Toxic places like abandoned factories or dumps |
2.34 |
Contaminated drinking water |
2.37 |
PCBs from landfills or from discarded electrical equipment getting into our water or food* |
2.76 |
Pollution Causes Illness Scale |
Highest ranked statements |
Asthma is made worse by pollution in the air |
7.77 |
People should worry about toxic things in their home |
6.79 |
People who work with chemicals often get sick from it |
6.05 |
People may get sick because they don’t eat the right foods to protect themselves from pollution * |
5.19 |
Lowest ranked statements |
The drinking water in my community causes health problemsn |
2.28 |
The air in my neighborhood looks or smells polluted |
2.52 |
The environment where I work might hurt my health |
3.15 |
Some schools in my community are contaminated and unhealthy |
3.33 |
Pollution Acceptance Scale |
Highest ranked statements |
Many people I know don’t seem to get sick, even though they don’t try to keep contaminants out of their food * |
4.51 |
I don’t consider environmental problems nearly as important as other problems in my family or neighborhood |
3.82 |
People often exaggerate the amount of sickness caused by pollution |
3.58 |
If you want to eat a normal diet, you can’t spend time worrying about contaminants in your food* |
3.13 |
Lowest ranked statements |
People don't need to worry about toxic things, because our bodies can overcome the toxins |
2.13 |
Pollution is just a part of modern life, so we can’t do much about it |
2.78 |
I am too busy to do anything about how the environment affects health |
2.95 |
Eating a healthy diet will not make a difference in my health if I live near pollution * |
2.97 |
Personal Environmental Action Scale |
Highest ranked statements |
I wash my fruits and vegetables thoroughly before using them * |
8.50 |
I do what is necessary to make sure my home is free of toxins, like lead and radon |
6.84 |
I avoid being around people who are smoking |
6.77 |
I pick up trash that I see in the street or around my neighborhood |
6.54 |
Lowest ranked statements |
I talk to my doctor or nurse about how to reduce the effects of pollution on my health |
1.79 |
I limit how much fish I eat because fish might contain toxic chemicals |
3.50 |
I eat organically grown food as much as I can* |
3.78 |
I avoid using insect sprays and pesticides because they could make people sick |
5.21 |
Community Environmental Action Scale |
Highest ranked statements |
I tell others about how the environment can affect health |
4.09 |
I talk with my friends and neighbors about how we can get healthier foods in our town* |
3.29 |
I join with others in trying to keep polluting businesses out of our community |
3.25 |
Lowest ranked statements |
I attend meetings about environmental health problems in my community |
2.28 |
When something is polluting our community, my neighbors and I get it stopped |
2.57 |
I talk with my friends and neighbors about how we can get cleaner water in our town* |
2.78 |
Note. Pollution Sensitivity Scale has eighteen statements with this question: “Are there any of these problems in your neighborhood?” 0 equals [none at all], 10 equals [very serious].
Pollution Causes Illness Scale has thirteen statements with this question: “Do things in the environment cause people to get sick?” 0 equals [disagree completely], 10 equals [agree completely].
Pollution Acceptance Scale has eight statements with this question: “Do people just need to live with these things?” 0 equals [disagree completely], 10 equals [agree completely].
Personal Environmental Action Scale has thirteen statements with this question: “Do you do things to help yourself with these problems?” 0 equals [never do this], 10 equals [always do this].
Community Environmental Action Scale has six statements with this question: “Do you do things with others in the community that help?” 0 equals [never do this], 10 equals [always do this].