Ipsos survey with futurologist Horst W. Opaschowski
Almost half (41 percent) of Germans see themselves as environmentally conscious people. In the age group of young people (14 to 23 years), the figure is lower at 33 percent. However, in this age group there is the strongest increase compared to the measurement one year ago (plus four percentage points). Only just under one fifth of Germans (19 percent) think that people deal well with nature. This applies to all age groups.
This was determined by the market and opinion research institute Ipsos in cooperation with futurologist Opaschowski , who is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Industrie-Contact, as part of the survey on the “National Prosperity Index for Germany” (NAWI-D), which has been conducted quarterly since 2012.
Gen Z lagging behind, but catching up strongly
About one third (32 percent) of Germans believe that they live in harmony with nature. In Generation Z (14-23 year olds in the survey), this figure is 25 percent. However, environmental awareness is currently growing particularly strongly among the younger respondents (by four percentage points compared to the previous year and by seven percentage points since 2017). In no other age group has there been such an increase since the “Fridays for Future” movement around Greta Thunberg.
The definition of wealth also shows that the GenZ attaches great importance to ecological factors. 24 percent think that the use of renewable energy is to be counted as prosperity. In terms of all respondents, only 15 percent of Germans agree.
From a change of heart to a change of behaviour
Futurologist Horst W. Opaschowski comments according to Ipsos press release: “A demonstration is not yet a revolution. The Fridays for Future movement has sensitised many people across generations to the long-term effects of climate change. But there is still a long way to go from a change of heart to a change of behaviour. On the other hand, as people become more environmentally aware, they become more aware of environmental policy measures. In particular, the creation of positive incentives for environmentally friendly behaviour can help to strengthen the population’s openness to a new climate protection policy”.
More information
Official website Prof. Horst W. Opaschowski: www.opaschowski.de
Ipsos survey: Ältere leben umweltbewusster als die Jugend – Aber Umweltverhalten ändert sich bei den Jungen am stärksten
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