Ecological awareness and, consequently, certain types of human behaviour, are still debatable. The issues related to ecology and environmental protection still raise many doubts among various populations. This article presents the results of a survey conducted among respondents residing in southeastern Poland. Due to the multidimensional nature and complexity of the ‘ecological awareness’ category, the aim of the conducted research was to create a dimensional characteristics model providing the possibility to investigate the way in which the indicated category is perceived by the inhabitants of the southeastern part of Poland.
A list of primary features (determinants) allowing us to describe ecological awareness and behaviour was defined in order to achieve the indicated objective. Particular determinants of the category of ‘ecological awareness’ were linked to five key thematic areas. The respondents, exploiting a designed scale related to particular determinants, were asked to identify an appropriate level on a scale that was the closest to their attitudes toward awareness and ecological behaviour they identified with. The data collected in the research underwent a statistical analysis; in this case, it was a multivariate analysis. The investigation resulted in selecting a model of dimensional characteristics of ‘ecological awareness’ consisting of nine components (dimensions) that could serve as a tool for further analysis. It is worth noting that two dimensions — ‘individual consciousness’ and ‘social awareness’ — were distinguished within the model. It is of crucial importance for the conducted policy of individuals in the decision-making process concerning the environment, and on the other hand it denotes a growing individual awareness of inhabitants.