The effect of gender on environmental attitude: A meta-analysis study

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the results of the studies conducted on determining the effect of gender on the environmental attitudes of individuals through the meta-analysis method. To this end, literature consisting of studies conducted between the years 2009–2019 was reviewed. A total of 257 publications related to the subject were collected in a pool. In line with the inclusion criteria determined, 53 of these studies suitable for the coding protocol were included in the study. The sample of the study consisted of 22,103 individuals (12,188 females and 9,915 males). Calculation of the effect size of the studies and analyses for heterogeneity and publication bias were performed using the Comprehensive Meta Analysis statistical program. A high level of heterogeneous distribution was determined in the studies included in the meta-analysis. Therefore, the general effect size value of the gender variable on the environmental attitudes of the individuals was obtained as d = .28  using the random effects model. The results showed that gender variable affected environmental attitude in favor of females at a low level. In addition, the moderator analyses indicated that this difference was based on the participants’ educational level and the highest difference occurred at the primary education level. Considering the results, it is recommended to start environmental education at an early age.

Keywords

• environmental attitude
• meta-analysis
• gender
• attitude
• effect size