Scaling Dispositions toward the Past

Abstract

There is considerable evidence to suggest a high level of public appreciation of the past in contemporary North American society. Various explanations for this have been advanced but we lack a clear understanding of the personal orientations toward the past which underlie attitudes toward and behavior in the historical environment. This paper describes the development of scales to measure dispositions toward the past and offers evidence to support their reliability and validity. Four dispositions are identified-conservation, heritage, experience, and interest-and scales to measure each are developed and tested using data collected in a recent study of historical and prehistorical resource appraisal in Toronto, Ontario. Residents' scale scores confirm a very positive sentiment toward the past and the implications of this finding for the planning and management of historical and prehistorical resources are briefly considered.