Psychometric Properties and Cross-Cultural Measurement Invariance of the Climate Change Hope Scale in Filipino and Indian Secondary Students

Constructive hope is deemed important to increase youth’s engagement in solving environmental problems. This study intends to assess climate change hope in the Philippines and in India, two countries identified to be most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change. Specifically, we aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the 11-item Climate Change Hope Scale (CCHS; Li & Monroe, 2017) among Filipino and Indian high school students. Another aim of the study was to assess the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the CCHS among Filipino and Indian youth. Data were gathered from Filipino (N=334) and Indian (N=128) secondary students from private and public schools through an online survey. The instrument achieved adequate reliability and discriminant validity in both contexts. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale adequately fit into a three-factor solution—personal-sphere will and way, collective-sphere will and way, and lack of will and way. Tests of measurement invariance of CCHS between India and the Philippines yielded partial invariance, demonstrating invariance at the configural and metric levels. CCHS can be used in studies that compare levels of climate hope in Filipino and Indian youth. A psychometrically sound tool to measure climate change hope is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs in empowering the youth to help solve complex environmental issues, especially in countries most impacted by climate change.