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Popul Environ (2010) 32:6687
DOI 10.1007/s11111-010-0113-1
ORIGINAL PAPER
Aaron M. McCright
Published online: 5 June 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract This study tests theoretical arguments about gender differences in scientic knowledge and environmental concern using 8 years of Gallup data on climate change knowledge and concern in the US general public. Contrary to expectations from scientic literacy research, women convey greater assessed scientic knowledge of climate change than do men. Consistent with much existing sociology of science research, women underestimate their climate change knowledge more than do men. Also, women express slightly greater concern about climate change than do men, and this gender divide is not accounted for by differences in key values and beliefs or in the social roles that men and women differentially perform in society. Modest yet enduring gender differences on climate change knowledge and concern within the US general public suggest several avenues for future research, which are explored in the conclusion.
Keywords Gender Climate change Knowledge Concern
Introduction
For several decades, sociologists of science and environmental sociologists have been investigating gender dynamics in scientic knowledge and environmental concern, respectively. The upshot is a mix of both robust patterns and inconclusive results. Largely independent of these efforts is a burgeoning, multidisciplinary literature examining public opinion on global warming, an important science-based environmental issue rife with political conict and moral concerns. To date, no work
A. M. McCright (&)
Lyman Briggs College, Department of Sociology, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USAe-mail: [email protected]
The effects of gender on climate change knowledge and concern in the American public
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on global warming public opinion systematically analyzes in much theoretical depth how gender relates to global warming beliefs and attitudes. Rather, studies typically include gender as a statistical control in multivariate models and then only discuss the performance of this variable in passingoften with little or no theoretical discussion. This current study attempts to remedy this situation.
Global warming, or climate change,1 is the most expansive global environmental problem facing humanity and arguably is the most serious environmental challenge to the Western experience of modernitye.g., economic growth, industrial capitalism, technological development, and material prosperity. As such, climate change is a theoretically and...