Expansion of the wilderness values scale with three sub-scales: Personal maintenance, expression and learning, and societal maintenance

The purpose of this research was to expand the wilderness value scale administered in the 1994 and 2000 versions of the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment using questions included in the 2003 NSRE. A data set of 1,900 cases was randomly split in half. Validity of the additional questions was tested using principal component analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis cross validation procedure, Cronbach’s alpha and weighted omega reliability coefficients, and identification of a simplex pattern among the scales. Results revealed that the three sub-scales, personal maintenance, expression and learning, and societal maintenance have adequate levels of reliability and validity. Concluding sections include recommendations for further testing of the scales and definitions for the specific value measures to aid in understanding the intended theoretical meaning and foster consistent replication.