Relational values have been proposed as a more inclusive alternative to instrumental and intrinsic values of nature. Although theoretically different, the empirical work to ascertain whether relational values are in practice different to instrumental values has been scarce. We surveyed 501 university students in Singapore to assess whether they could distinguish in practice between relational and instrumental values of several parks and to identify correlates of their value scores (their personality, the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and their nature experiences). Using correlation and factor analysis, we find that relational and instrumental values are nearly indistinguishable in practice for our respondents. Correlates of high value scores are the importance of nature in fondest childhood memories and NEP statements related to concern with a future ecological crisis. Relational and instrumental values further shared multiple personality (extraversion, emotional stability) and NEP statement predictors. Our results call to urgently expand the empirical evidence base of relational values to inform their conceptualization.

关系价值已被提议作为自然的工具价值和内在价值的更具包容性的替代。尽管理论上不同，但用于确定关系价值在实践中是否不同于工具价值的经验工作很少。我们对新加坡的501名大学生进行了调查，以评估他们是否可以在实践中区分几个公园的相关价值和工具价值，并确定其价值得分的相关性（他们的个性，新生态范式（NEP）及其自然经历）。使用相关性和因子分析，我们发现在实践中，我们的受访者几乎无法区分关系和工具价值。高价值分数的相关性是大自然在最美好的童年记忆和与对未来生态危机的关注相关的NEP陈述中的重要性。关系和工具价值观进一步共享了多种人格（外向性，情绪稳定）和NEP陈述预测因子。我们的结果要求紧急扩展关系价值的经验证据基础，以告知它们的概念化。