Are women potentially more accommodating than men to a sustainable transportation system in Sweden?

The attainment of a sustainable transportation system necessitates changes in the travel behavior of individuals. In this article, a descriptive presentation of travel survey data as well as attitude surveys tests the hypothesis that women are potentially more adaptable to a sustainable transportation system than men are. This is accomplished in four parts. First, results from Swedish travel survey data have found that men travel more kilometers per year, use the car more than women with regard to the number of kilometers traveled per day, and make more trips as the sole occupant of a car. Second, results from attitude surveys show that women are more environmentally concerned and express more criticism of automobility than men. Third, women are more positive towards proposals that reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of car use to a greater extent than men. Fourth, women express more willingness to reduce their use of the car than men. In general, while there are not large differences between men and women and their attitudes towards automobility, women consistently show more support of ecological issues and are more positive towards measures which entail reductions in car use, such as improving and expanding public transportation. Women were furthermore more prepared to participate in ecologically benign activities to a greater extent than men, which included reducing car use. Because of the tendencies shown in the empirical results presented here, women are judged to have more potential for accommodating an ecologically sustainable transportation system in Sweden than men are. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.