The Engagement/Disengagement in Sustainable Development Inventory (EDiSDI)

Abstract

There is an urgent need to meet the goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Such advancements require people to adopt pro sustainable development behaviors. Research on engagement with sustainable development has the potential to provide a vital understanding of how individual differences and contextual factors interact to shape such behaviors. Our aim was to offer a theoretical framework for engagement, imported from Educational Psychology, and from it develop the Engagement/Disengagement in Sustainable Development Inventory (EDiSDI). In Study 1 (n = 266; Mage = 38.6 years; 83% female), an exploratory factor analysis identified three engagement and three disengagement factors. In Study 2 (n = 510; Mage = 31.6 years; 58% female), confirmatory factor analyses supported a bifactor model with two negatively correlated general factors (engagement and disengagement). Using a bifactor model, engagement was positively (and disengagement negatively) correlated with nature relatedness, environmental identity, and environmental action. Item response theory analyses revealed good item discrimination. These results validate both the proposed framework and EDiSDI for use in research on engagement with sustainable development. Future research is needed to determine if engagement and disengagement in sustainable development are distinct constructs, or opposing ends of a continuum.