Environmental Consciousness in Germany 2000

Environmental consciousness and conduct in areas relevant to the environment.
Topics:
relevance of the environmental problem:
general well-being living in Germany;
importance of political problems such as unemployment,
provision of housing, preserving the social state,
combating crime, foreigner questions, environmental protection and
competitive ability of business (scale);
importance of selected goals of environmental protection.
Environmental quality:
judgement on environmental quality in Eastern and Western Germany,
in Germany over-all, world-wide and in one's own city;
largest environmental problem in one's own municipality;
personal image of nature as self-regulating, sensitive,
withstanding burdens within limits or unpredictable;
perceived personal jeopardy from air pollution by cars and industry,
water pollution and climate changes from the "greenhouse effect";
judgement on personal impact of noise, exhausts and bad air.
Environmental attitudes:
personal stand on environmental protection:
orientation on environment or pleasure;
trust in technology or one's own initiative;
affective-cognitive and conative aspects of environmental protection (scale);
technology and business;
willingness to pay higher prices, higher taxes and
restriction on standard of living for environmental protection.
Consumption and household:
paying attention to low energy consumption and
readiness for higher expenditures for energy-saving devices
when purchasing household equipment;
knowledge about the introduction of the option to change electricity companies
and personal conduct after this;
using eco-electricity or
intent to use eco-electricity in spite of additional cost.
Environmentally conscious shopping practices:
paying attention to the environmental compatibility of products when shopping;
orientation on identification of environmentally compatible products;
knowledge and paying attention to the "blue angel";
willingness to pay more for environmentally conscious and
environmentally compatible products.
Traffic and mobility:
possession and number of cars in general and
cars with reduced consumption in one's household;
expected reaction to a doubling of the gasoline price:
switching to bicycle or OEPNV {local public passenger transport},
doing without some trips or buying a more economical car;
frequency of using a car;
frequency of using bicycle, train and airplane in the last year;
attitude to a speed limit;
attitude to car-free zones in larger cities as well as
additional streets for bicycle traffic,
to establishing more restricted traffic zones and
speed limit of 30 KM/H in residential areas;
agreement with traffic policy measures such as
expansion of the OEPNV {local public passenger transport},
the bicycle network and transferring freight traffic to rail transport;
attitude to construction of the magnetic suspension train (Transrapid);
attitude to introduction of a car-free days each year in one's municipality;
trips with the bicycle without a real destination, "just for fun";
number of vacation trips last year;
use of means of transport when shopping for household;
distance to shops.
Health:
perceived current and future health burden from environmental problems;
hereditary or environmentally caused allergic illnesses;
personal experiences with allergic illnesses or in personal surroundings;
age of persons affected;
type of allergic symptoms (illnesses of the skin or respiratory tracts)
and information on the causes (food, additives etc.);
strength of personal impairment from allergy or the allergy
of members of the household.
Future scenarios:
assumed events in the next 20 to 50 years such as
shortage of drinking water, abandoning nuclear energy,
war over raw materials and water, increase in long-distance travels,
increased conversion to biological farming,
3-liter cars and cars with other forms of power,
increase in global environmental pollution,
noticeable increase in climate temperature.
Environmental policies and citizen participation:
evaluation of extent of current environmental policy measures;
desired measures of the Federal Government against increase in ozone levels:
speed limit, driving prohibition, education campaign or no measures;
assessment of the risk of atomic energy;
agreement with the FRG's abandoning nuclear energy;
assessment of existing environmental protection laws as adequate or inadequate;
importance of reducing gases harmful to the climate and
evaluation of political measures for this;
feeling of progress in the last 5 years regarding
cleanliness of inshore waters, purity of the air, condition of soil,
climate protection, conservation of energy and protection of nature;
assessment of the risk of gene technology and orientation of the government
on safety or health in the area of gene technology;
attitude to foods processed with gene technology;
political participation in the area of environmental protection and
authorities and institutions consulted;
membership in environmental protection organizations
and assessment of participation in residential area and
in personal circle of friends;
knowledge about the "local agenda 21" initiative;
willingness to participate in affairs in the residential district;
interest or commitment in certain topic areas
(health, third world, traffic etc.);
knowledge about the discussion of an ecological tax reform;
agreement with selected statements on ecological tax reform;
familiarity and understanding of the term "sustained development";
trust in the problem-solving ability of selected institutions and
organizations as well as of the political parties;
interest in politics.
Information practices:
credibility of sources of information;
information conduct relative to environmental problems through selected
sources such as private and public television, radio, conversations with
friends, regional and national press, weekly and technical publications;
evaluation of extent and manner of media reporting about environmental problems;
Internet access in household and frequency of use;
personal environmental conduct;
frequency of practising selected environmentally compatible actions (scale).
Demography:
sex;
year of birth;
highest education degree;
employment activity;
occupational position;
marital status;
living together with a partner;
number of children;
size of household and composition of household;
party preference (Sunday question);
religious denomination;
religiousness;
personal income;
household income;
growing up in a large city, small town or a village.
Interviewer rating:
form of housing;
residential area;
traffic situation of residential area;
ZIP (postal) code.