Future-focused women fight climate change better

Washington, Oct 28: Future-oriented

are more likely to take concrete steps to reduce global warming, says a study.

"They are more politically liberal and liberals are more likely to value the environment which makes them more likely to believe in global warming," explained lead researcher Jeff Joireman, associate professor of marketing at Washington State University.

The future-oriented women are the voting bloc most strongly motivated to invest money, time and taxes toward reducing global warming, he added.

Previous studies have shown that women and those with liberal viewpoints are more likely to act to protect the environment than men and conservatives.

Joireman and his team polled 299 US residents, with an age range from 18 to 75.

Forty-eight percent of the respondents were female and 80 percent were Caucasian.

Women scored higher than men on liberal political orientation, environmental values, belief in global warming, and willingness to pay to reduce global warming when their concern with future consequences was high.

But, it was not a simple gender difference.

Women scored lower than men on liberal political orientation and willingness to pay when their concern with future consequences was low, researchers found.

"Future-oriented women, for example, might be more willing to pay higher prices for fuel-efficient cars, alternative forms of transportation and energy efficient appliances. They might also eat less meat, all to help lower greenhouse gas emissions," Joireman said.

The findings were published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

IANS