Antecedents of Intention to Use Reusable Alternatives–Model Questionnaire

Abstract

The Antecedents of Intention to Use Reusable Alternatives–Model (Adam, 2023) is a robust psychological instrument developed to quantify the rational and moral determinants influencing tourists’ willingness to adopt reusable alternatives in place of single-use plastics. This integrated model is theoretically grounded in two influential frameworks: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM).

The instrument was constructed by adapting validated items from previous research and was subsequently administered to a sample of tourists visiting Ghana. Data analysis utilized advanced statistical techniques, including Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and confirmatory Factor Analysis, to confirm its psychometric properties. Comprehensive results supporting the instrument’s factor structure, reliability (internal consistency), and validity (convergent and discriminant) have been published, establishing the scale as a reliable measure of conservation behaviors in the tourism context.

Keywords

Ascription of Responsibility, Attitude toward Reusable, Awareness of Consequences, Behavioral Intention, Conservation Behaviors, Intention to Use Reusable Alternatives, Norm Activation Model, Perceived Behavioral Control, Personal Norm, Reusable Alternatives, Single-Use Plastics, Subjective Norm, Theory of Planned Behavior, Tourists.

Authors

Adam, Issahaku

Purpose

The primary purpose of this measurement model is to systematically evaluate the various psychological and normative antecedents that predict tourists’ intention to engage in conservation behaviors, specifically focusing on the substitution of single-use plastics with reusable alternatives during travel.

By integrating rational factors (from TPB) and moral factors (from NAM), the scale provides a nuanced understanding of the decision-making process concerning sustainable tourism practices, offering a valuable tool for policymakers and tourism operators aiming to promote environmental responsibility.

Construct

The scale measures seven distinct constructs, derived from the integration of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM). The TPB components assess rational drivers, while the NAM components capture moral obligations regarding environmental behavior.

The constructs measured are:

• Attitude toward reusable (ATR): The degree to which an individual holds a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of using reusable alternatives.

• Subjective norm (SN): The perceived social pressure to engage or not engage in the behavior (using reusables).

• Perceived behavioral control (PBC): The perceived ease or difficulty of performing the behavior.

• Behavioral intention (BI): The stated likelihood of performing the behavior (using reusable alternatives).

• Awareness of consequences (AC): The extent to which an individual is aware of the negative consequences of not using reusable alternatives (e.g., environmental damage from single-use plastics).

• Ascription of responsibility (AR): The degree to which an individual feels personally responsible for mitigating the negative consequences.

• Personal norm (PN): The individual’s moral obligation to perform the behavior.

Validity

Rigorous psychometric testing was conducted to establish the validity of the latent variables within the model, focusing specifically on convergent and discriminant validity.

Convergent Validity: This was supported by ensuring that the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) for each unobserved variable exceeded the threshold of 0.50, consistent with methodological guidelines established by Fornell and Larcker (1981). This finding confirms that the items designed to measure a specific construct are highly correlated with that construct.

Discriminant Validity: Confirmation of discriminant validity was achieved by demonstrating that the square root of the AVE for each unobserved variable was greater than its correlation coefficients with all other variables in the model. This essential measure, also following the recommendations of Fornell and Larcker (1981), confirms that the constructs are empirically distinct from one another.

Reliability

The reliability of the instrument was assessed through the evaluation of internal consistency across all measurement items.

Internal Consistency: The measure demonstrated strong internal consistency, as evidenced by Cronbach’s alpha scores for all constructs, which were reported to be greater than the accepted 0.70 standard (Peterson, 1994). This indicates a high degree of interrelatedness among the items intended to measure the same underlying construct.

Factor Analysis

Both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were employed to refine the scale and confirm the dimensional structure of the measurement model.

Initially, factor analysis indicated that all items exhibited high loadings and primarily converged onto a single rotated factor. However, two items were subsequently removed from the final measure because their factor loadings fell below the acceptable 0.60 threshold, as recommended by Hair, Ringle, and Sarstedt (2011).

The respecified measurement model, after item removal, achieved an excellent fit with the collected data. This was confirmed by several widely accepted model fit indices: Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI = 0.972), Comparative Fit Index (CFI = 0.993), Normed Fit Index (NFI = 0.976), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA = 0.041). All these values were well within the acceptable ranges defined by standard statistical guidelines (Byrne, 2010), thereby validating the structural integrity of the scale.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: All measurement items for the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TBP) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM) were assessed using a five-point Likert scale. This scale ranged from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.”

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human (Male and Female)

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years and older), including Young Adulthood (18-29 years), Thirties (30-39 years), and Middle Age (40-64 years).

Population Details: The study participants were tourists located in Ghana.

Test Methodology: The methodology involved various test validity assessments, including Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity. Test reliability was assessed through Internal Consistency. Factor analysis, including both Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis, was utilized. The research also involved the development of a Measurement Model and the application of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

Keywords

Ascription of Responsibility, Attitude toward Reusable, Awareness of Consequences, Behavioral Intention, Conservation Behaviors, Intention to Use Reusable Alternatives, Norm Activation Model, Perceived Behavioral Control, Personal Norm, Reusable Alternatives, Single-Use Plastics, Subjective Norm, Theory of Planned Behavior, Tourists.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4769-9504

Affiliation: Issahaku Adam, University of Cape Coast, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Issahaku Adam: University of Cape Coast, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Cafeteria Road, Cafeteria Building, Room 3, Cape Coast, Ghana, PMB CC143.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Adam, I. (2023). Rational and moral antecedents of tourists’ intention to use reusable alternatives to single-use plastics. Journal of Travel Research, 62(5), 949–968. doi.org/10.1177/00472875221105860

Items of the Antecedents of Intention to Use Reusable Alternatives–Model Questionnaire

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Number of Items: This measure includes 29 items.

Factors and Subscales: The constructs measured include:

• Attitude toward reusable (ATR)

• Subjective norm (SN)

• Perceived behavioral control (PBC)

• Behavioral intention (BI)

• Awareness of consequences (AC)

• Ascription of responsibility (AR)

• Personal norm (PN)

  Test Items Available: No data is Available