Every 8-10 weeks, together with the market research institute K&A BrandResearch AG from Röthenbach b. Nuremberg, we conduct representative studies in the German horizoom panel on socially relevant topics in order to use intelligent questioning techniques to investigate so-called say-do gaps, i.e. differences between self-statements and actual everyday behavior.
The most recent study focused on the topics of sustainability, the environment and nature.
As many as 67% of Germans consider themselves to be close to nature, and 92% of those surveyed have a garden or at least a balcony, terrace and/or conservatory. Whether garden owners or not, young or old: the majority of Germans love going for walks in nature (>50%) and see nature as a central place for relaxation and stress relief (>50%). The coronavirus pandemic has helped this love of nature, with people discovering that they can escape the loneliness and problems of everyday life by escaping into nature and/or getting a pet; camping vacations and outdoor activities such as hiking and cycling (especially e-biking) have experienced a real boom.
However, despite all the love for nature, climate and environmental protection is losing relevance and is currently seen by only around 10% of respondents as a relevant issue for voting in the next general election, behind immigration (29%), social security (18%) and peacekeeping (11%). The ranking shows that in the current multi-crisis period, climate and environmental protection appear to many to be less of an immediate luxury problem.
In general, the respondents do not see themselves as (co-)responsible for climate protection, but rather – each respondent was able to give 3 answers – the majority see the government, industry and other countries (possibly together with Germany) as responsible. Regardless of the fact that food waste (46%), air and sea travel (45%) and a lack of recycling (42%) are seen as climate-damaging behaviors in everyday life.
However, there are also respondents who are willing to make a personal contribution to environmental and climate protection in terms of electricity consumption (47%), avoiding air and sea travel (38%) and avoiding plastic (38%). Nevertheless: 10% are not prepared to do without in favor of the climate.
This illustrates the say-do gap: although there is a general awareness of the problem, the majority of people are happy to delegate environmental policy to politicians and industry, and the invitation to make personal sacrifices leads to reactance or at least rejection. Respondents are most likely to agree that they would be motivated to protect the climate if companies were also obliged to reduce harmful behavior (40%) or if there were financial incentives such as subsidies or tax breaks for environmentally friendly measures on the part of politicians.
Based on the results of the study, we consider positive experiences and incentives for private environmental and climate protection to be correspondingly important. Perceived positive self-efficacy is likely to reinforce future climate-friendly behavior.
Detailed results and information on the study, including a study profile, can be found at: https://ka-brandresearch.com
