Rhode Island women tend to be disengaged from politics and many don't regard political activity as an effective way to influence their world, according to interpretations of a poll released yesterday by the Women's Fund of Rhode Island.

The telephone survey of 507 women, ages 18 to 75, conducted last week, found that Rhode Island women are focused on their local communities, willing to volunteer, committed to voting -- but "cynical" about the political process, pollster Anna Greenberg said in presenting the results yesterday.

A key reason, Greenberg asserted, is that Rhode Island has had few women elected to statewide office. This leaves women with the sense that their elected representatives do not have personal experience with the "kitchen-table issues" that worry women, Greenberg said.

Among Rhode Island women, the poll found, the top concerns are whether income will keep up with rising prices, and whether they'll be able to afford health care and retirement.

Additionally, women around the country tend to be less informed about politics, because they have more responsibility and less leisure time, Greenberg said. "When men get home from work, they sit down and watch the news. When women get home from work, they make dinner," she said.

In a finding that Greenberg called "stunning," only 13 percent of the women surveyed believe their vote has an impact nationally (compared with 47 percent who believe their vote has its greatest impact locally). This is in spite of the possibility that Rhode Island voters could help tip the balance of power in the U.S. Senate if they elect a Democrat in November, and that in a small state, each vote carries more weight.

Still, the vast majority of women regard voting as an important civic responsibility and plan to vote in the next election, and two-thirds believe that voting can be the only way to have a say in government. More than half believe that voting and helping political candidates is the best way to influence the political process.

"Women tend to focus a lot of energy on volunteering," Greenberg said.

Three out of four women say they have donated time to volunteer efforts. Most volunteered for organizations to help the poor, sick, elderly or homeless, church or religious groups, or youth development programs. Only 11 percent volunteered for political organizations or candidates.

Greenberg also found it "depressing" that, when asked whether there were any issues that would motivate them to get more involved in civic life, 54 percent said there were none.

"There's real work to do," Greenberg said, "to try and help educate women and instill a sense of involvement in the political process."

The need is especially great among younger and unmarried women, who are more disengaged from politics, she said. "Younger women are much more cynical about whether their vote can make difference," she said.

The survey was done as a followup to a 2002 study of the status of Rhode Island women, which found they have among the country's lowest levels of elected representation in state and national office, and earn less, compared with men, than female workers in 29 states.

While the 2002 study looked at the circumstances of women's lives, yesterday's poll "tells us how women feel about their lives and how their feelings intersect with their politics," said Marcia Coné-Tighe, executive director of the Women's Fund.

The Women's Fund, founded in 2001 with the help of the Rhode Island Foundation, seeks to "advance equity and social justice for women and girls" by issuing grants, conducting studies, and organizing leadership and resources.

Coné-Tighe said that the Women's Fund would use the survey results to figure out ways to engage Rhode Island women in political activity.

The survey was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a research and consulting firm in Washington, D.C.

ffreyer@projo.com / (401) 277-7397