Environmental Awareness Study 2026 Representative survey on environmental awareness and behavior 2026 including scientific analyses

Since 1996, environmental awareness in Germany has been regularly surveyed in representative surveys of the German-speaking resident population. The 2026 Environmental Awareness Study, commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), examines environmental attitudes and perceptions of environmental and climate policy in Germany on a regular basis. For 2026, attitudes toward the key topics of “circular economy” and “gender equality” supplement the repeatedly examined time series questions. 

At the heart of the Environmental Awareness Study is a representative survey of around 2,000 people. Qualitative focus groups will be used to explore the key topics of circular economy and gender equality in greater depth and to prepare for the representative survey. In addition, young people between the ages of 14 and 22 in Germany will be surveyed, continuing the time series of the “Future? Ask young people!” study series. The surveys will be conducted by the Verian survey institute. 

The empirical surveys will take place in spring and summer 2026, with key findings to be published in winter 2026/2027. In addition to further in-depth analyses, the scientific report at the end of the project will include a segmentation according to socio-structural and socio-cultural characteristics by the partner institute sociodimensions. At the end of the project, the study results will be presented at an online conference with an academic audience and further interested stakeholders. The study will be accompanied by a scientific advisory board. As an additional product, the Goldland Media agency is setting up a data portal for the environmental awareness study as part of the project.