The in-depth analysis of the 2014 Environmental Consciousness Study by the Federal Environment Agency addresses changes in environmental consciousness. Overall, theses on key trends in environmental consciousness are formulated and interpreted in the context of general socio-cultural changes.
A central factor contributing to change in environmental consciousness is generational shift. It means that the way in which citizens view environmental issues today is influenced less by post-material values and characterised more by pragmatic, tactical and situational perspectives. Overall, consciousness of environmental issues is still high but the context has changed. Nowadays, there is less focus on specific local environmental problems. Global and social conditions, however, are perceived more clearly. An overall development that is increasingly perceived as crisis-prone raises the question of how sustainable development can be shaped in the long term.