[Assessment of the structure of the Climate Change-COVID-19 Belief Scale: Analysis in an adult population].

Objectives Data reveal that people who believe in the existence of a link between climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are more likely to be concerned about the environment and to take pro-environmental actions. The objective of the study is to evaluate the factorial structure and psychometric properties of a short five-item scale assessing the belief in the links between climate change and COVID-19 among Quebec adults. Methods Two online surveys were conducted in May-June and October 2021 with 11,321 and 10,368 adult residents of Quebec, respectively. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to assess whether the collected data conformed to a unidimensional structure. Convergent and divergent validity were also assessed. The reliability of the scale scores was estimated from the lambda 2 and total omega coefficients. Result The results support the presence of a unidimensional structure. More specifically, confirmatory factor analysis consolidates this position, but by considering 2 error covariances in the model. Furthermore, measurement invariance was established both across gender and based on the presence or absence of depressive disorder, supporting the generalizability of the scale across these subgroups. The results of convergent and divergent validity also support the relevance of using this new scale. The reliability coefficient values of the scale scores are excellent. Conclusion The results confirm the existence of a unidimensional structure for the climate change and COVID-19 belief scale. The unidimensionality of the scale, the other psychometric properties evaluated, as well as the invariance support its use among Quebec adults. The use of the total score of the 5 questions is therefore appropriate. In a context where climate change is accelerating and the possibility of other pandemics arises, this scale represents a valuable measurement tool for assessing the belief in links between the 2 phenomena.