University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

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identification per response category and the estimation of adjusted frequencies. A
pre-test to the questionnaire, with a set of selected individuals from the local
authority and the academic sectors, was held in order to assess the overall quality of
the draft questionnaire.
Table 3. Total number of Portuguese municipalities, municipalities surveyed, usable
responses from municipalities and response rate.
Total no. of
Portuguese
municipalities –
whole statistical
population (no.)
Municipalities
surveyed
(no.)
Usable responses
from
municipalities
(no.)
Response rate
(%)
308 308 95 31
Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the results in the municipalities surveyed.
Where appropriate, chi-square was used to test associations between frequency
distributions in the groups of municipalities by size, in terms of the number of
inhabitants and number of workers, and in the groups of municipalities by
geographic location and the environmental management practice variables.
The Municipality Environmental Performance Evaluation
Index (MEPE)
The raw data obtained in this survey is quite extensive and diverse. To convey the
whole environmental performance picture to local policy decision-makers and the
general public, an aggregation approach was adopted. On the basis of a selection of
ten variables from the survey questionnaire (Table 4), taking into account the index
proposed by Ramos and Melo (2006), we developed an index to evaluate the
environmental performance of municipalities in a simplified and useful manner – the
Municipality Environmental Performance Evaluation (MEPE) Index.