Refereed journal article or data article (A1)
Aware of the Future?: Development and Validation of the Futures Consciousness Scale
List of Authors: Fanny Lalot, Sanna Ahvenharju, Matti Minkkinen, Enrico Wensing
Publisher: Hogrefe Publishing GmbH
Publication year: 2019
Journal: European Journal of Psychological Assessment
Journal name in source: European Journal of Psychological Assessment
Volume number: 36
Issue number: 5
Number of pages: 15
ISSN: 1015-5759
eISSN: 2151-2426
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000565
URL: https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1015-5759/a000565
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/44897145
Consciousness refers to the capacity that a person has for
understanding, anticipating, and preparing for the future. Although the
concept is widely used in the field of futures research, no quantitative
tool exists yet that assesses it. Drawing from a recent
five-dimensional model that considers Time perspective, Agency beliefs,
Openness to alternatives, Systems perception, and Concern for others as
interrelated sub-dimensions of a general construct of Futures
Consciousness, we developed a composite 20-item scale that measures
Futures Consciousness as an interindividual difference. The psychometric
properties of this new scale were examined through a dual approach of
exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses with a total of 1,301
participants in three languages (English, French, and Finnish). The
scale’s structure proved satisfactory and fitted the hypothesized
five-dimensional model in all three languages. Measures of internal and
external validity (convergent and concurrent) also indicated good
psychometric properties. Notably, individuals’ scores were positively
related to the adoption of several social future-oriented behaviors such
as pro-environmental and civic behavior. As such, the developed scale
proves a reliable tool that could be of use for scholars and
practitioners in futures studies as well as psychology.
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