London's Men Slow to Take Up Green Agenda

Men four times less likely than women to care about the environment

London (August 23, 2007) — London's men care less about the environment than their female counterparts, according to a YouGov poll of 500 Londoners. The survey conducted on behalf of Zipcar, the world's largest car club, which offers self-service vehicles for use by the hour, revealed that four times as many men said they were "unconcerned about protecting the environment" compared to their females counterparts.

Gloria Moss, Research Fellow, University of Glamorgan, and Visiting Professor Ecole Superieure de Gestion (ESG), Paris comments: "The results of the study by Zipcar could reflect a number of different factors. Several studies investigating the drawings of men and women indicate that females may be more interested in nature and plant life than males. The studies include the analysis of drawings by girls and boys, with significantly more females consistently featuring plant life and nature."

Moss concludes: "Moreover there is a cross-cultural research that shows men may act in a more individualistic way than women, and women with a greater eye for the collective good. Following from this asking people to take action for the greater good of mankind, rather than for the good of the individual, may have more appeal to women than men. This may be an additional factor in the greater interest shown by women in environmental issues as reflected in this survey."

The YouGov survey asked Londoners about their attitudes towards protecting the environment and the steps they are currently taking to reduce their carbon footprint. It highlighted that nearly one in five Londoners are not taking any steps to protect the environment. Many of those interviewed said they are confused about how to make an impact, with ten times more 18 to 29 year olds confused than 30 to 50 year olds, and almost double the number of over 50s doing as much as possible (32%), compared to 17% of the youngest age group.

Paul McLoughlin, general manager of Zipcar says: "Londoners want to do more to protect the environment, but they don�t necessarily want to compromise their lifestyle. We can offer an easy way to reduce carbon emissions and save money. Many Londoners talk about how businesses and governments should set a better example and do more to reduce global warming. Where these positions are held by men it indicates possible further evidence of a connection between gender roles and the ineffectiveness at making large environmental changes."

According to Zipcar member surveys more than 40% of users report selling a vehicle or putting off a purchasing decision when they join. Additionally, members drive less and walk, bike, and use public transportation more often. Overall, it is estimated that Zipcar saved more than 8.5 million gallons of petrol, or 17 million gallons of crude oil from being consumed in 2005 alone.

Zipcar membership includes the congestion charge, petrol and fully comprehensive insurance and rates start at �4.95 an hour or �45 per day. London residents can join online at www.zipcar.com. Signing up takes just a few minutes online or by phone and once registered, members use their Zipcard to access vehicles, which can be booked hours or minutes in advance.

About Zipcar

Zipcar is the world's largest and fastest growing car club, with more than 100,000 members and 3,000 vehicles in major metropolitan areas and university campuses, including Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Vancouver, Toronto and London, England. As a leading urban lifestyle brand, Zipcar provides a convenient and cost effective transportation alternative for individuals, businesses and universities in 23 cities throughout North America and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.zipcar.com.

About the survey

The YouGov Omnibus sample is a nominal 500 GB adults (18+), weighted to be representative of the adult population with standard crossbreaks (age, sex, two way SEG and 5 major regions). YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council (http://www.britishpollingcouncil.org). The BPC is an association of polling organisations that publish polls. The objectives of the Council ensure standards of disclosure designed to provide consumers of survey results that enter the public domain have an adequate basis for judging the reliability and validity of the results. Through full disclosure the Council aims to encourage the highest professional standards in public opinion polling and to advance the understanding, among politicians, the media and general public, of how polls are conducted and how to interpret poll results. The BPC will also provide interested parties with advice on best practice in the conduct and reporting of polls.