The perceived environmental sustainability (PENSUS) scale for food and drinks: Development and validation among young consumers in Belgium

The perceived sustainability of food plays a significant role in young consumers' eating behaviors. While it is highly relevant to investigate these sustainability perceptions, the available measures are limited. Previous research has mostly relied on single-item measurements that only allow a surface-level understanding of food sustainability perceptions. Therefore, this research aims to provide researchers with a scale to measure perceptions of environmental food sustainability, addressing the need for such a measurement tool. We used a mixed-methods approach to develop and validate the Perceived Environmental Sustainability (PENSUS) Scale for Food and Drinks. Items were generated and refined based on expert interviews and focus group discussions with young consumers (i.e., 12-25 years) (Phase 1). The structure of the scale was explored in two online surveys (Phase 2), and subsequently confirmed with confirmatory factor analyses in four online experiments (Phase 3). This process resulted in a 10-item version of the PENSUS scale, designed to measure perceptions of 1) production & processing, 2) packaging and 3) transport. The scale serves as a concise, reliable tool to measure young consumers' environmental sustainability perceptions.