Support for the climate movement in Germany is falling drastically across all social groups, a new study shows. Climate protection remains important to people. But researchers warn of a culture war.
This article lies IPPEN.MEDIA as part of a cooperation with Climate.Table Professional Briefing before – first published him Climate.Table on July 27, 2023.
The climate and environmental movement currently enjoys significantly less support among the German population than two years ago. This is the conclusion reached by the non-profit organization “More in Common” in a recent survey.
However, the criticism of the interviewees seems to be aimed primarily at concrete forms of protest, such as against the actions of the last generation – and not (yet) against the need for climate protection per se. In interviews conducted in addition to the survey, many “recognized the fundamental need for strong action for climate protection” and “partly defended the roadblocks at this level”, writes “More in Common”. From this, the organization draws the conclusion: “It is possible for many people to reject the specific protests in their design and still know about the importance of climate commitment.”
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Culture War Warning
To discuss the results, “More in Common” invites interested parties to a webinar on July 27th. In its first own interpretation of the data, the organization warns that the climate debate could become a culture war, for example along the “supposed dividing line between activists on the one hand and commuting workers on the other”. That could damage the positive potential for climate protection that exists in people’s minds.
Many already perceive climate policy as a “loss and sanction policy” directed against “common people” and do not see the positive design possibilities.
The organization sees various ways of avoiding a culture war: for example, if climate policy conveys the “belief in collective ability to act” and that “everyone really makes their fair contribution”. Especially in times of crisis and rising prices, it is very important that climate protection can convey positive ideas about the future. “It’s not about whitewashing,” because most people already know “that things are going to change in the way we live.” That is precisely why they need “positive, confidence-inspiring target images”.
Support is falling in all social groups
The results of the survey in detail:
- Only 34 percent of those surveyed say that the climate and environmental movement in Germany “basically has my support”. That’s half what it was two years ago.
- What is striking here is that support is falling quite evenly across all social groups – including in population groups that are generally more close to the movement. In its research, “More in Common” distinguishes between six types of society based on their values and basic beliefs.
- Only 25 percent agree with the statement “The climate and environmental movement in Germany has the well-being of society as a whole in mind”. Two years ago it was 60 percent.
- Apparently, the climate movement is no longer as inviting to people as it was two years ago, and their ability to engage in dialogue is being increasingly questioned. The proportion who think the climate and environmental movement is “open to people like me joining it” has fallen by more than half since 2021. The proportion of those who believe that the movement speaks an “understandable language” has fallen just as sharply.
- Currently, 85 percent of those surveyed think that the climate and environmental movement “often goes too far with their protest actions”. Two years ago it was about half. Here, too, unlike in 2021, there is a broad majority across all social groups. There is “a new unanimity in the negative judgment,” writes “More in Common”.
- Only eight percent expressed understanding for the actions of the last generation.
- In the personal interviews carried out in addition to the survey, many are particularly critical of the fact that the “actions are intended to affect citizens directly in their everyday lives”.
Further studies confirm findings
“More in Common” thus comes to similar conclusions as other recently presented studies. The Berlin Science Center (WZB), for example, reported at the end of June: Radical climate protests, i.e. road blockades or attacks on works of art, found no support among the majority of people in Germany. However, the radical actions did not have a “short-term” effect on the approval of climate policy measures.
In the Social Sustainability Barometer published at the beginning of July, a majority of those surveyed (59 percent) were rather critical of the climate protests. Two thirds feared that the protests could jeopardize public support for climate protection. Almost half did not believe in their political effectiveness.
“More in Common”: promoting social cohesion
More in Common operates in the US, UK and France. In Germany, the organization is active in the form of a non-profit association financed by foundations. The organization sees itself as party-politically independent. Its goal is to combat polarization and division and promote social cohesion. She also conducts her own research.
For the current survey, “More in Common”, together with the opinion research institute Kantar Public, asked around two thousand people aged 18 and over from May 9 to 24, 2023 in an online process that is intended to depict the various social groups as reliably as possible, about their view of the climate movement. Two years ago, the organization presented its first study on how Germans view climate protection.
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