Social Awareness of Biological Diversity (2017)

The survey Social Awareness of Biodiversity has been conducted every two years since 2009. The 2017 evaluation shows:

Awareness of biodiversity among the population has generally not changed significantly since the surveys began. In 2017, 25 percent of respondents met the criteria of the overall indicator for knowledge, attitudes and behavioral willingness to protect biodiversity. In previous surveys, the readings were between 22 and 25 percent. 

It has repeatedly become clear that the social milieus in Germany differ significantly in their awareness of biodiversity. In particular, there are considerable differences between people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and those from better-off backgrounds.  It should be borne in mind that although people in a good social position usually express a relatively high level of awareness of nature, they also have a significantly more resource-intensive lifestyle compared to the average population.  Although members of the socially disadvantaged classes express less awareness of nature, they also consume fewer resources and generally live a more nature-friendly lifestyle (less energy consumption, air travel etc.).