Which relevance do youth and young adults ascribe to environment and nature conservation as well as sustainable urban planning? How do youth and young adults perceive these thematic fields? And which expectations do they have concerning the future development of these policy areas? Answering questions like these, was the aim of the research study “Zukunft? Jugend fragen!” (Future? Ask Youth!). The study investigated the views of youth and young adults on environmental and urban related topics. As a pilot study on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the study aimed to provide empirically valid and youth specific information for a future environmental and urban policy agenda.

The particularity of this study: Youth and young adults participated throughout the entire project. They were not only the “objects of research” but were actively involved as “researchers” themselves. Setting up a youth project board was a central building block of this participation. The board members were young representatives of environmental and social associations, co-creating the project form beginning to end.

This report outlines each step and element of the research agenda and presents the central research findings and results by also referring to the methodological approaches used in the study.