• Energy Research

The mobility sector was one of the sectors most affected by COVID-19 and its political restrictions, with, inter alia a huge drop in mobility behavior due to travel bans, lockdowns, and a reduced need to be mobile. The present study examined the potential of COVID-19 restrictions aiming at containing the spread of the virus to be a window of opportunity for the transition toward sustainable mobility by breaking up strongly habitualized daily and travel mobility behaviors through changes of behavioral contexts. We conducted an online survey in a sample representative for the German population (N = 3092) to study the consequences of the COVID-19 restrictions on Germans' daily and travel mode choices and on their wishes for future mobility. Furthermore, we examined the moderating effects of Germans' personal norms to protect the climate on changes in their mobility behavior toward sustainable mobility, both within and beyond the corona pandemic. In line with previous research, the present study shows an overall reduction of mobility across almost all modes of transport for daily and travel mobility during time periods of COVID-19 restrictions compared to pre-COVID-19-times, with different transport modes being affected differently. Our findings additionally point out the relevance of personal norms to protect the climate for the transition toward sustainable mobility behavior. Altogether, the present study provides first empirical evidence for the corona pandemic to represent a window of opportunity for the transition toward sustainable mobility. Furthermore, the study also points out relevant directions for further research.

The present study examined the overall potential that the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions have for the promotion of climate-friendly food consumption in Germany. We looked at COVID-19-related changes in people’s climate-friendly food-consumption behaviors by comparing retrospectively self-reported performances between the time period in which the COVID-19 restrictions were in place and the pre-COVID-19 period. Furthermore, we examined the durability of such COVID-19-related changes with regard to an imagined post-COVID-19 period and the role of people’s personal climate-protection norms in COVID-19-related behavioral changes. To do so, we conducted two online surveys in June/July 2020 with German consumers: (a) an online study in a sample that was representative of the German population (NCOR1 = 3092) and (b) another online study in a smaller sample of German consumers (NCOR2 = 300). Altogether, the data from both surveys indicated several COVID-19-related changes toward more climate-friendly food consumption, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, but also with regard to long-term changes in a potential post-COVID-19 period. Furthermore, our results also provide initial empirical evidence that people’s personal climate-protection norms are relevant moderating factors of these short- and long-term COVID-19-related behavioral changes.

The climate crisis poses a major threat for sustainability, with the young and future generations likely to be among the most affected groups in the climate crisis. Older generations will be less affected but have a greater impact both in terms of contribution and mitigation. We investigated potential intergenerational drivers of older Germans’ climate protection intentions and behavior in two pre-registered studies (N1 = 411, 55- to 75-year olds; N2 = 309, 55- to 86-year olds). On a correlational level, both studies revealed that contact between generations (particularly high-quality contact) indirectly explained the participants’ climate protection intentions/behavior. This effect was mediated by affinity with younger people (Study 1) and its subfacets of perspective taking and empathic concern (but not the subfacet of perceived oneness; Study 2). Study 1 further provided evidence that legacy motivation, i.e., the desire to leave behind a positive legacy, was positively related to participants’ climate protection intentions and behavior. Study 2’s attempt at testing the causal role of the subfacets of affinity was not successful, as the experimental manipulation of perspective taking toward younger people failed. However, the two studies provide correlational evidence that the closer older people feel to younger people and the future consequences of their behaviors, the more willing they are to protect the climate.