Courage, as an abstract concept, evokes many associations; it can be understood as a form of behavior, a desire, or a value, but also as something connected to people, events, and decisions. But when do citizens describe their own behavior as courageous? In what situations do they act fearlessly? However different these aspects may be, they all derive their strength from the same source.

Above all, being courageous requires self-confidence, a willingness to take responsibility, a willingness to take risks and optimism. Depending on the situation, it is also important to stand up for your own convictions or values. Courageous behaviour is realised particularly within the personal environment. But what prevents many Germans from carrying out this behaviour, which is perceived as positive, more often and also outside their immediate environment?

A large majority of citizens associate courage with four characteristics in particular: self-confidence, a sense of responsibility, the willingness to overcome resistance and standing up for values. Other key characteristics from the citizens' perspective are optimism, creativity, a willingness to take risks and striving for change.

The younger and older generations prioritise their wishes for role models differently. This applies to both the order and the percentage of approval or rejection. For example, the over 55s favour people from the political sector and „ordinary citizens“ as courageous role models much more than the under 35s. Older people also place more trust in people from the worlds of business and science and recognise their high potential for courageous decisions and actions.

The question of role models and their significance for society is not new. However, it takes on particular importance in times of great change, uncertainty, and challenges. Role models can help provide clear guidance and point the way to a positive future. Yet, there is a significant discrepancy between the desire for courageous role models and the reality experienced.

Streaming television is becoming increasingly popular - the traditional offerings of private and public broadcasters, on the other hand, are being used less and less. More than one in two Germans now regularly (i.e. at least once a week) watch films or series on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Sky or another platform. This means that the proportion of streaming users has more than doubled in just three years.

More and more people report regularly engaging in spontaneous leisure activities, simply doing whatever they feel like. While ten years ago "only" about one in three said they spent their free time unplanned at least once a week, now it's almost one in two.

Almost three quarters of all German citizens currently want more moments of pleasure in their lives - in 2017, this only applied to half of all citizens. The German population is almost unanimous on this point - both now and then: there are no significant differences between the sexes or between the different income brackets and places of residence.

Eight per cent of Germans write a diary regularly - i.e. at least once a week. As many as three per cent even put their thoughts on paper every day. Since 2020, the attractiveness of this leisure activity has increased by three percentage points (2020: 5%). Diary writing is particularly popular among the under-30s and is therefore practised twice as often.

Social media has become an integral part of life for many Germans. Currently, more than two-thirds of Germans use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and similar platforms at least once a week in their free time. This figure has doubled in the last ten years (2013: 341,000). As expected, younger users (under 30: 811,000) are almost twice as likely to be active on social media platforms as older users (over 65: 431,000).