Sustainability

For the representative survey on the topic of ´Sustainability´, the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen Telefonfeld GmbH interviewed a total of 1,004 randomly selected German-speaking citizens aged 16 and over by telephone from 4 to 11 November 2020 for the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government. The sample was a combined landline and mobile phone sample. The content of the survey is divided into four sections: Term and concept of sustainability, actors and influencing factors for sustainable behaviour, level of information and own behaviour on the topic of sustainability, attitude towards life and economic situation.<br>1. Term and concept of sustainability: awareness of the term sustainability; own idea of the term sustainability (open); awareness of the concept; assessment of the concept; assessment of whether various topics have something to do with sustainability (e.g. use of renewable energies from water, wind or sun, purchase of durable products, use of environmentally friendly means of transport such as bicycle or train, etc.); value of sustainability.

2. Actors and influencing factors for sustainable behaviour: Important actors for more sustainability (politics, economy, consumers, research and science, agriculture, energy suppliers); most important actor for more sustainability; appropriate measures of politics for more sustainability in everyday life; endangered international competitiveness of the German economy through sustainable production of goods; advocacy of sustainability despite economic disadvantages; reasons why people do not pay attention to sustainability (e. g. lack of information, knowledge and education, etc.); sustainable behaviour is more likely to be brought about by punishing non-sustainable behaviour or promoting sustainable behaviour; opinion on the topic of sustainability in school lessons (separate school subject on the topic of sustainability, aspects on sustainability should be dealt with in various other school subjects, no change).

3. Level of information and own behaviour on the topic of sustainability: self-assessment of the level of information on the topic of sustainability; sources of information; own behaviour in everyday life in various areas of life (e.g. purchase of environmentally friendly or regionally produced food, climate-friendly produced electricity, etc.); change in own mobility since the Corona crisis in work and leisure; change in car use since the Corona crisis.

4. Attitude towards life and economic situation: importance of various aspects in life (making financial provisions for old age, taking care of one´s health, helping others, enjoying life to the full, faith and religion, high standing, being able to afford many things, career, taking care of a healthy diet, thinking of future generations, being able to determine one´s own life, taking care of one´s own family, going on many long-distance trips, further education, financial security); party sympathy; assessment of one´s own economic situation.

Demography: age; sex; children; children under 18; education: school-leaving qualification or school-leaving qualification aspired to; university degree; employment status; assessment of job security; professional position; complexity of job; civil service career group; household size; number of persons in the household aged 18 and over; religious denomination; frequency of churchgoing; German citizenship.

Additionally coded were: ID; federal state; Berlin: East/West district; city size; reached via mobile or landline; weighting factor; sustainable no/yes, hedonistic no/yes.