Leisure Time Monitor 1999
After the fun-oriented decade of the 1980s, trend researchers predicted a new decade focused on meaning for the 1990s. Things turned out quite differently: both the fun factor and the meaning factor of life are now equally important. At the turn of the millennium, Germans remain torn between traditional values and new markets: church and religion are just as important to them as Aldi or Adidas (both 221,030). And in terms of personal esteem, the Bible (191,030) ranks only slightly ahead of Coca-Cola (181,030), Levi's (171,030), and McDonald's (151,030). This is one of the findings of a recent representative survey, now published in the "Leisure Monitor 1999" by the Leisure Research Institute of British American Tobacco. Three thousand people aged 14 and over were asked, in a representative sample, what they find attractive in life and what they are personally passionate about.
""Germans are divided in their outlook on life," says Prof. Dr. Opaschowski, head of the Leisure Research Institute. "They want to live in both a fun-loving society and a meaningful one. And they feel quite comfortable with this mix of church and consumerism, traditional values and fashionable clothing.""
The new Leisure Monitor 1999 offers a glimpse into the turn of the millennium: In addition to the annual survey of Germans' leisure activities, it also asks for the first time what is interesting and desirable in life. This can include material goods as well as idealistic goals. Professor Opaschowski: "After all, a churchgoer is also a pub-goer. And a fashionably dressed consumer can also be a member of Greenpeace." On the threshold of the third millennium, divided, spontaneous, and multi-optional consumers, who want to keep all their options open, are setting the tone.
Among 14- to 19-year-olds, Coca-Cola (54%) and McDonald's (47%) are currently the most popular. For retirees, the Olympic Games (40%) and church/religion (40%) are at the top of the list. And the environmental organization Greenpeace enjoys almost twice the esteem among West Germans (25%) as among East Germans (13%). The attractiveness scale of German citizens reflects values and markets, needs and demands. Opaschowski: "Material prosperity and a higher standard of living are just as sought after as social welfare and a greater sense of purpose. Information about the subjective well-being of citizens must be of great importance to society and politics." The attractiveness scale also reflects the quality of life in Germany today.
In the scale of consumer and lifestyle desires among Germans, there are vast differences between women and men. For women, intangible values such as church/religion (271 TP3T – men: 151 TP3T), the Bible (221 TP3T – men: 151 TP3T), or the Red Cross (351 TP3T – men: 271 TP3T) are far more important. Men, on the other hand, show a clear tendency to seek refuge in automotive values such as BMW (391 TP3T – women: 191 TP3T) and Mercedes (381 TP3T – women: 211 TP3T).
In general, material values tend to outweigh symbolic values, material possessions over ideals, and entertainment over serious matters. The Bible (191) and political parties (CDU 131, SPD 121) struggle to compete with the public's sporting interest in Formula 1 races (31%) and the Champions League (26%). On the other hand, social organizations like Amnesty International (21%) and Greenpeace (22%) enjoy high acceptance and recognition among the population. Political parties currently enjoy the lowest level of appeal. Even music channels like VIVA (10%) and MTV (9%) rank higher in popularity than the Green Party (8%) and the FDP (3%).
Entertainment and material well-being were paramount for Germans at the turn of the millennium. However, the experiential culture of the 21st century cannot exist without a social and meaningful orientation in life, because otherwise many people feel isolated in a purely individualized consumer society. The answer to the question "The turn of the millennium – and then what?" lies in a new diversity of existence encompassing culture, consumption, and religion – freely adapted from Udo Lindenberg's song: "Beyond the horizon, it goes on...""
""Germans are divided in their outlook on life," says Prof. Dr. Opaschowski, head of the Leisure Research Institute. "They want to live in both a fun-loving society and a meaningful one. And they feel quite comfortable with this mix of church and consumerism, traditional values and fashionable clothing.""
The new Leisure Monitor 1999 offers a glimpse into the turn of the millennium: In addition to the annual survey of Germans' leisure activities, it also asks for the first time what is interesting and desirable in life. This can include material goods as well as idealistic goals. Professor Opaschowski: "After all, a churchgoer is also a pub-goer. And a fashionably dressed consumer can also be a member of Greenpeace." On the threshold of the third millennium, divided, spontaneous, and multi-optional consumers, who want to keep all their options open, are setting the tone.
Among 14- to 19-year-olds, Coca-Cola (54%) and McDonald's (47%) are currently the most popular. For retirees, the Olympic Games (40%) and church/religion (40%) are at the top of the list. And the environmental organization Greenpeace enjoys almost twice the esteem among West Germans (25%) as among East Germans (13%). The attractiveness scale of German citizens reflects values and markets, needs and demands. Opaschowski: "Material prosperity and a higher standard of living are just as sought after as social welfare and a greater sense of purpose. Information about the subjective well-being of citizens must be of great importance to society and politics." The attractiveness scale also reflects the quality of life in Germany today.
In the scale of consumer and lifestyle desires among Germans, there are vast differences between women and men. For women, intangible values such as church/religion (271 TP3T – men: 151 TP3T), the Bible (221 TP3T – men: 151 TP3T), or the Red Cross (351 TP3T – men: 271 TP3T) are far more important. Men, on the other hand, show a clear tendency to seek refuge in automotive values such as BMW (391 TP3T – women: 191 TP3T) and Mercedes (381 TP3T – women: 211 TP3T).
In general, material values tend to outweigh symbolic values, material possessions over ideals, and entertainment over serious matters. The Bible (191) and political parties (CDU 131, SPD 121) struggle to compete with the public's sporting interest in Formula 1 races (31%) and the Champions League (26%). On the other hand, social organizations like Amnesty International (21%) and Greenpeace (22%) enjoy high acceptance and recognition among the population. Political parties currently enjoy the lowest level of appeal. Even music channels like VIVA (10%) and MTV (9%) rank higher in popularity than the Green Party (8%) and the FDP (3%).
Entertainment and material well-being were paramount for Germans at the turn of the millennium. However, the experiential culture of the 21st century cannot exist without a social and meaningful orientation in life, because otherwise many people feel isolated in a purely individualized consumer society. The answer to the question "The turn of the millennium – and then what?" lies in a new diversity of existence encompassing culture, consumption, and religion – freely adapted from Udo Lindenberg's song: "Beyond the horizon, it goes on...""
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