Measuring the values that underlie sustainable development: The development of a valid scale

The United Nations General Assembly recognized the importance of people’s sustainability values in driving attitudes and behaviors towards the sustainable development of globalization by declaring a set of “certain fundamental values to be essential to international relations in the twenty-first century” (UN, 2000). The specific values underlying this UN declaration are freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility. Despite their importance, little is known about the nature of sustainability values and much work needs to be done in developing such scales. This study develops a reliable and valid measure of values underlying sustainable development which will hopefully stimulate further research on regional, cultural, and demographic differences in sustainable development.