Abstract |
Two techniques are employed to measure attitudes toward dual use of water resources. The study subject is Smith Mountain Lake, located in Southwestern Virginia, which is used both for recreation and hydroelectric generation. The sample population interviewed consisted of 134 males and 173 females from Roanoke, Virginia. The instruments used to evaluate the interviewees' responses were (1) a sixteen-item Likert scale, and (2) a seven-point semantic differential scale. While the composite Likert scale displayed a moderate degree of unidimensionality (.546), the four subscales designed to measure the dimensions of relevance, powerlessness, involvement, and deference failed to demonstrate the expected internal consistency. The semantic differential technique was somewhat more successful. It indicated that the degree of orientation toward water resources was positively correlated with education and income, and negatively correlated with age. (Author) |