Prioritizing longtermist over neartermist causes was predicted by higher levels of engagement, male gender, white ethnicity, and younger age (when accounting for the influence of these and several other variables in the same model).
This raises some hackles in me, gender & race are both dimensions of privilege (‘based in US’ is a much less clear marker of privilege in this context). This is speculation, but I wonder if psychological distance from suffering is a strong predictor of longtermist beliefs; i.e. that suffering yourself or being in a context of suffering leads you to prefer near-term causes. This, at least, is one thing I think critics of longtermism take issue with (at their strongest & in best faith).
Of course. It is much easier for privileged individuals to relate to the suffering of minds that do no exist yet compared to the very real suffering of people and animals today that force you to confront your emotions and uneasiness towards those who have so little when you have so much.
The divide between gender and cause-area is obvious (not just from this study but also from my own EA group!). Women in general care much more about GHD and animal welfare and dislike fixing technological issues with yet another technology; they want more systemic change. That some privileged men who benefit from the current status quo do not want to change the current power dynamics and prefer to think about future beings who do not have a voice yet to feel useful is hard to deny.
Sadly I have not seen any research mixing gender dynamics and longtermist urgency.
This raises some hackles in me, gender & race are both dimensions of privilege (‘based in US’ is a much less clear marker of privilege in this context). This is speculation, but I wonder if psychological distance from suffering is a strong predictor of longtermist beliefs; i.e. that suffering yourself or being in a context of suffering leads you to prefer near-term causes. This, at least, is one thing I think critics of longtermism take issue with (at their strongest & in best faith).
Of course. It is much easier for privileged individuals to relate to the suffering of minds that do no exist yet compared to the very real suffering of people and animals today that force you to confront your emotions and uneasiness towards those who have so little when you have so much.
The divide between gender and cause-area is obvious (not just from this study but also from my own EA group!). Women in general care much more about GHD and animal welfare and dislike fixing technological issues with yet another technology; they want more systemic change. That some privileged men who benefit from the current status quo do not want to change the current power dynamics and prefer to think about future beings who do not have a voice yet to feel useful is hard to deny.
Sadly I have not seen any research mixing gender dynamics and longtermist urgency.