Marco Sonnberger

Zusammenfassung

The decarbonization of the mobility sector is one of the main challenges in the context of climate mitigation. In Germany, as in many other countries, policy measures aiming to make the mobility system greener frequently fail to produce substantial results, not least due to a lack of support by large sections of the general public. Policy measures directed at reducing car traffic in particular are often met with indifference and resistance. The question thus arises: what basis do citizens use to form their (often negative) opinions about sustainable mobility policies? As a conceptual starting point for our empirical analysis, we draw on the frame concept and focus on people's frames of the politics of mobility. With ``politics of mobility'' we refer to everything people could consider as political with regard to mobility. We understand frames as culturally mediated patterns of interpretation that ultimately motivate and guide actions.

Zusammenfassung

Background While different proposals exist for a guideline on reporting Delphi studies, none of them has yet established itself in the health and social sciences and across the range of Delphi variants. This seems critical because empirical studies demonstrate a diversity of modifications in the conduction of Delphi studies and sometimes even errors in the reporting. The aim of the present study is to close this gap and formulate a general reporting guideline. Method In an international Delphi procedure, Delphi experts were surveyed online in three rounds to find consensus on a reporting guideline for Delphi studies in the health and social sciences. The respondents were selected via publications of Delphi studies. The preliminary reporting guideline, containing 65 items on five topics and presented for evaluation, had been developed based on a systematic review of the practice of Delphi studies and a systematic review of existing reporting guidelines for Delphi studies. Starting in the second Delphi round, the experts received feedback in the form of mean values, measures of dispersion, a summary of the open-ended responses and their own response in the previous round. The final draft of the reporting guideline contains the items on which at least 75% of the respondents agreed by assigning scale points 6 and 7 on a 7-point Likert scale. Results 1,072 experts were invited to participate. A total of 91 experts completed the first Delphi round, 69 experts the second round, and 56 experts the third round. Of the 65 items in the first draft of the reporting guideline, consensus was ultimately reached for 38 items addressing the five topics: Title and Abstract (n = 3), Context (n = 7), Method (n = 20), Results (n = 4) and Discussion (n = 4). Items focusing on theoretical research and on dissemination were either rejected or remained subjects of dissent. Discussion We assume a high level of acceptance and interdisciplinary suitability regarding the reporting guideline presented here and referred to as the "Delphi studies in social and health sciences–recommendations for an interdisciplinary standardized reporting" (DELPHISTAR). Use of this reporting guideline can substantially improve the ability to compare and evaluate Delphi studies.

Zusammenfassung

We present a study of emotional reactions to climate change utilizing representative samples from France, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom (UK). Drawing on appraisal theories of emotion, we examine relations between appraisals, emotions, and behavioral intentions in the context of climate change. We compare the four countries concerning emotional differences and commonalities and relate our findings to pertinent models of cultural values. Five distinct emotions were measured: worry, hope, fear, outrage, and guilt. In addition, the survey asked respondents to appraise a set of climate-related statements, such as the causality of climate change, or the efficacy of mitigation efforts. Also, a set of climate-relevant actions, such as willingness to reduce energy consumption or support for climate policies, was assessed. Findings show that appraisals of human causation and moral concern were associated with worry and outrage, and appraisals of efficacy and technological solutions were associated with hope. Worry and outrage are associated with intentions to reduce one’s energy consumption, whereas hope and guilt are related to support for policies such as tax and price increases. A country comparison shows that French respondents score high on outrage and worry and tend to engage in individual behaviors to mitigate climate change, whereas Norwegian respondents score high on hope and show a tendency to support policies of cost increase. Generally, worry is the most and guilt the least intense emotion. Moral concerns and perceived collective efficacy of one’s country in addressing climate change are relatively strong in France, while beliefs in human causation and in negative impacts of climate change prevail in Germany, and confidence in technological solutions are prevalent in Norway. In sum, findings reveal typical patterns of emotional responses in the four countries and confirm systematic associations between emotions and appraisals as well as between emotions and behaviors. Relating these findings to models of cultural values reveals that Norway, endorsing secular and egalitarian values, is characterized by hope and confidence in technological solutions, whereas France and Germany, emphasizing relatively more hierarchical and traditional values, are rather characterized by fear, outrage, and support for behavioral restrictions imposed by climate change policies.

Zusammenfassung

Background Delphi techniques are conducted across different subfields in the health sciences. The reporting practices of studies using Delphi techniques vary, and current reporting guidelines for Delphi techniques focus on individual subfields of the health sciences or on different aspects of research and are therefore of limited applicability. The aim of this article was to identify similarities, differences, and possible shortcomings of existing Delphi reporting guidelines and to draft an initial proposal for a comprehensively applicable reporting guideline. Methods A systematic literature search for reporting guidelines on Delphi studies was performed in existing data resources based on databases in the health sciences (Scopus, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Epistemonikos) including publications from 2016 to 2021. In June 2021, we conducted an additional search in PubMed and included further studies by contacting experts of the scientific Delphi expert network (DeWiss). Title and abstract screening of articles was performed, followed by a full-text screening of the articles included. We qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated, compared and contrasted the reporting guidelines identified using content analysis and discussed the results among the members of the Delphi expert network. Results We retrieved ten health science articles with reporting guidelines for Delphi studies. In analyzing them, we identified nine main categories (Justification, Expert panel, Questionnaire, Survey design, Process regulation, Analyses, Results, Discussion, Methods reflection & Ethics). The current reporting guidelines vary significantly, with only the aspect of consensus appearing in all of them. Frequency distributions show that most of the subcategories are only addressed in individual articles (e. g., meeting of participants, proceeding with the survey method, transfer of the results, validation, prevention of bias) and that epistemological foundations of the Delphi technique are rarely mentioned or reflected on. We drafted an initial proposal for Delphi reporting guidelines for the health science sector. Discussion A well-justified position concerning epistemological foundations of Delphi studies is necessary to make the quality of the process assessable and, along with the reporting of the process, to classify and compare study results. This will increase the acceptance of both the method in the health science sector and the results in medical practice. A Delphi reporting guideline must, above all, take into account the diversity of variants, subfield-related objectives and application areas, and their modifications of the Delphi technique in order to be comprehensively applicable in the health sciences. Conclusion The results of our methodological review do not provide a final reporting guideline. The newly developed proposal is intended to encourage discussion and agreement in further analyses.

Zusammenfassung

In the face of intensifying socio-ecological crisis phenomena, a public and academic discourse of urgency has developed with regard to the sustainable transformation of lifestyles. However, in reality, individuals prove resistant to normative calls for more sustainable consumption and consumption patterns often remain inconsistent across different domains of everyday life. A variety of relatively well-studied causes exist for this (e.g., behavioral lock-ins or motivational goal conflicts). Nevertheless, it remains crucial to empirically investigate questions such as: Between which everyday domains are relations of congruence or incongruence particularly pronounced? And how do these relations differ with sociodemographic variables? Starting from a practice theoretical perspective on everyday life, I present empirical findings on the clustering of (un-)sustainable everyday practices in the fields of energy, food, and mobility. Drawing on population representative survey data from the German cities of Muenster and Stuttgart (n = 2005), I identify six distinct clusters of (un-)sustainable practice patterns by combining a multiple correspondence analysis and a hierarchical cluster analysis. Furthermore, I show how these clusters relate to sociodemographic characteristics. My overall analysis reveals that compartmentalization rather than congruence of (un-)sustainable everyday practices is the empirical norm. However, two clusters represent uniformly (un-)sustainable performances of practices but each only account for less than 10% of the surveyed population.

Zusammenfassung

This article argues that the sociotechnical context in which near-surface geothermal energy is embedded draws out its characteristic of being temporarily depletable. Thereby, the minimization of unavoidable side effects, such as cold plumes, which result from the social constitution of geothermal energy, is a crucial area of consideration. Using the situation in Germany as a touchstone, we discuss how cold plumes and interferences from neighboring ground source heat pumps test the limits of the existing regulatory framework, requiring negotiations between different knowledge sets stemming from areas as diverse as planning law, geology, cultural habits, and engineering. This makes the operation of geothermal energy highly uncertain and continuous negotiations on sustainable modes of extractions a pressing issue.

Zusammenfassung

Real-world laboratories (RWL) involve co-design and co-creation of knowledge based on a transdisciplinary cooperation of actors from different social worlds – academia, administration, economy, civil society – each endowed with specific interests, resources and worldviews. According to their claim, RWLs are supposed to be a means of inclusive participation in the co-creative shaping of solutions for socioecological issues. In the literature dealing with RWLs, participation is thus mainly understood as an active involvement by civil society, change agents and citizens in processes of experimentation and implementation of solutions. We call this co-creative participation. However, participation in talk-based opinion formation and decision-making processes – we call this deliberative participation – is hardly a subject of discussion in the respective literature, although deliberative participation has been at the heart of participation research for several decades. In this paper, we argue that co-creative and deliberative participation are two distinct forms of participation which can be conceptualized differently but are both relevant for successful experimentation in RWLs. Based on our practical experiences in the ‘real-world laboratory for sustainable mobility culture’ (RNM), we propose an ideal-typical conceptual framework for participation in RWLs that combines co-creative and deliberative participation, thereby aiming to contribute to a systematization of, and rationale for, different forms of participation in RWLs.

Zusammenfassung

Energy systems across the world must undergo a fundamental transformation towards the use of low-carbon energy sources and technologies in order to reduce global CO2 emissions. While nuclear energy has historically been highly controversial, especially among people concerned about the environment, some voices have begun to suggest that nuclear energy should be reconsidered as an energy source, to help mitigate climate change. In this study we explore the relationship between climate change concern and public perceptions of nuclear energy, using representative survey data (n = 4048) from four key energy-producing European countries (France, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom). After constructing a climate-change concern index and applying multiple linear regression models, we find that climate change concern is associated with more negative perceptions of nuclear energy in all four countries. These negative associations remain when we control for political orientation, gender, age, and education. Thus, a stable pattern of disapproval of nuclear energy among people concerned about climate change seems to exist independently of national contexts. This result casts into doubt the prospect that broad public support could rapidly emerge for the use (or the increasing use) of nuclear energy as a means to ensure reduced carbon emissions.

Zusammenfassung

Als eine Folge des sogenannten Dieselskandals wurden in mehreren deutschen Städten Fahrverbote für ältere Dieselfahrzeuge verhängt. Diese Fahrverbote waren und sind Gegenstand äußerst kontroverser öffentlicher Auseinandersetzungen. Stuttgart war die erste Stadt, in der flächendeckende Einfahrverbote für ältere Dieselfahrzeuge verhängt wurden. Basierend auf sieben Fokusgruppendiskussionen zum Thema Dieselfahrverbote, die im November und Dezember 2018 mit Stuttgarter*innen und Einpendler*innen aus dem Stuttgarter Umland durchgeführt wurden, arbeiten wir zentrale Aspekte der öffentlichen Wahrnehmung und Bewertung der Fahrverbote in Stuttgart heraus. Die Auswertung des Materials erfolgte in Anlehnung an die Codierschritte der Grounded Theory und hatte die Identifikation zugrundeliegender Deutungsmuster zum Ziel. Anhand des Materials lässt sich zeigen, dass die Deutung der Fahrverbote im Wesentlichen durch empfundene Ungerechtigkeit sowie unterschiedlich schattiertes Unverständnis und Skeptizismus gekennzeichnet ist. Als Adressatin geäußerter Kritik fungiert dabei in erster Linie die, oftmals abstrakt gehaltene, „Politik“. Basierend auf einer sozialen Gemengelage des Misstrauens gegenüber politischen Akteuren lässt sich ein zugrundeliegendes Deutungsmuster der „undurchsichtigen Interessenspolitik zum Nachteil der ‚einfachen‘ Bürger*innen“ identifizieren, das in zwei unterschiedlichen Argumentationsmodi kommuniziert wird. Die Ergebnisse lassen sich als eine Illustration des spezifischen Umgangs der Bürger*innen mit der Komplexität und Ambiguität sozialökologischer Transformationen interpretieren.

Zusammenfassung

The current article uses insights from actor network theory (ANT) to analyze and explain how the current situation regarding European diesel engines in passenger vehicles has become a locked-in affair of blame and technological stigma. Beginning with the development of EU emission standards in the early 1990s and culminating in the diesel scandal that came to light in September 2015, we reconstruct this process by describing the emergence of a translational blame game involving policy makers, carmakers, and environmental protection associations in Germany and beyond. We argue that it was the performative enactment of the blame game that has given the diesel compression-ignition engine a certain identity and, by so doing, turned it into a concrete actant. Although there may be different problem framings and interpretations, they ultimately became united in a single narrative that reconciles differences and avoids multiplicity by portraying the diesel engine as the ``dirty'' villain in the struggle for clean mobility. Thus, the diesel engine is now considered a technology of the past. We argue that it was the unique constellation of the actor networks involved that framed diesel engines in such a way that there are hardly any advocates of the engine left: the diesel engine as actant has ended up being a source of health-related hazards and therefore needs to be phased out.

Zusammenfassung

Although autonomous driving is expected to provide a solution for various mobility-related issues, ideas on how the technology will actually unfold are vague. Nevertheless, stakeholders in the field hold expectations about the technology and the future users. With very few exceptions, so far research does not focus on these expectations as social constructions of individuals and publics. In addition, these perceptions play only a minor role in the technology-centered debate. Thus, to bring these perceptions to light and to analyze their implications, we draw on the sociotechnical imaginaries approach to reconstruct stakeholders' views of future users and publics. We perform a qualitative content analysis and show that imaginaries unfold along the themes of responsibility for the process of driving, rationality in decision-making, and acceptance for emerging technologies. We discuss how the themes relate to each other, what role science plays, and what implications follow from the respective stakeholders' views. ~ Although autonomous driving is expected to provide a solution for various mobility-related issues, ideas on how the technology will actually unfold are vague. Nevertheless, stakeholders in the field hold expectations about the technology and the future users. With very few exceptions, so far research does not focus on these expectations as social constructions of individuals and publics. In addition, these perceptions play only a minor role in the technology-centered debate. Thus, to bring these perceptions to light and to analyze their implications, we draw on the sociotechnical imaginaries approach to reconstruct stakeholders' views of future users and publics. We perform a qualitative content analysis and show that imaginaries unfold along the themes of responsibility for the process of driving, rationality in decision-making, and acceptance for emerging technologies. We discuss how the themes relate to each other, what role science plays, and what implications follow from the respective stakeholders' views. // Although autonomous driving is expected to provide a solution for various mobility-related issues, ideas on how the technology will actually unfold are vague. Nevertheless, stakeholders in the field hold expectations about the technology and the future users. With very few exceptions, so far research does not focus on these expectations as social constructions of individuals and publics. In addition, these perceptions play only a minor role in the technology-centered debate. Thus, to bring these perceptions to light and to analyze their implications, we draw on the sociotechnical imaginaries approach to reconstruct stakeholders' views of future users and publics. We perform a qualitative content analysis and show that imaginaries unfold along the themes of responsibility for the process of driving, rationality in decision-making, and acceptance for emerging technologies. We discuss how the themes relate to each other, what role science plays, and what implications follow from the respective stakeholders' views.

Zusammenfassung

In the face of climate change, the transition to a low-carbon energy system has become increasingly urgent. However, the implementation of renewable energy projects is often contested. Now research shows that residents of wind energy communities prefer their local wind project over other means of electricity generation.

Zusammenfassung

Die 4 multidimensionalen Akzeptanztypen nach Schweizer-Ries et al. (Protestbereite, Gegner, Befürworter, Unterstützer) finden in einer detaillierten empirischen Analyse der lokalen Akzeptanz von Energietechnologien im Rahmen der Energiewende Anwendung. Anhand einer repräsentativen, deutschlandweiten Telefonbefragung aus dem Jahr 2015 (n = 2009) werden empirische Analysen zum Grad der Zustimmung oder Ablehnung von Freiflächensolaranlagen, Windparks und Hochspannungsleitungen durchgeführt. Vor allem bei Windparks und Hochspannungsleitungen ist mit potenziellem Widerstand und Gegnerschaft zu rechnen. Freiflächensolaranlagen stellen für das Gros der Bürger in Deutschland hingegen eine weitestgehend akzeptable Technologie dar. Außerdem zeigt sich anhand von \glqqSubset\grqq-Korrespondenz-Analysen, dass die 4 Akzeptanztypen jeweils in konsistente, energiebezogene Wahrnehmungsmuster eingebettet sind. Die Ergebnisse sind für die sozialwissenschaftliche Akzeptanzforschung im Energiebereich von besonderer Relevanz, da sie die große Komplexität energiebezogener Wahrnehmungsmuster aufzeigen.

Zusammenfassung

Knowledge integration is a major challenge of interdisciplinary research. Substantially dierent stocks of knowledge based on dierent scientific backgrounds, uses of language, methodologies, and epistemologies must be integrated into the research process. Addressing this challenge, this paper exemplifies the process of interdisciplinary knowledge integration drawing on the example of the junior research group DynaMo---Mobility-Energy Dynamics in Urban Areas that deals with the sustainable transformation of urban mobility systems. This paper shows how we apply the boundary object concept in combination with the method of Constellation Analysis as vehicles for interdisciplinary knowledge integration. By innovatively combining the boundary object concept with Constellation Analysis we (a) suggest a self-reflective tool for structuring the process of knowledge integration and (b) further operationalize the boundary object with the help of core concepts. The approach is illustrated with the boundary object sustainable transformation of urban passenger mobility used by DynaMo. In doing so, the paper aims to add an instrument to the toolkit of inter- and transdisciplinary research and offers practical knowledge for its application.

Zusammenfassung

Rebound effects are the unintended consequences of improvements in energy efficiency. They refer to situations in which efficiency improvements are reduced or even reversed by changes in behavior. In many cases these effects stem from small behavior changes rooted in cultural values or from the interconnectedness of everyday practices. Practice theory has established itself in many social science disciplines, including ecological economics, and its focus on routinized activities in everyday life promises to provide beneficial insights to debates on rebound. Since this has not been done to date, this article aims to fill the gap by offering suggestions as to how practice theory can complement and enhance existing explanations of rebound effects. Drawing on existing practice theory research on energy consumption, we identify and discuss a number of starting points for practice theory-inspired research on rebound effects. These include the pivotal role of distributed agency between humans and non-humans (e.g. technical devices), the co-dependence of practices, the co-evolution of practices with systems of provision, as well as a general trend towards the acceleration of everyday life.

Zusammenfassung

In this study, we tested how attitudes toward the German energy transition, the perceived fairness of decision-making processes and their outcomes, the perceived risks and benefits of wind energy, and the trust in key actors (federal government, local government, large energy companies, and municipal utilities) affect both the general acceptance and local acceptance (acceptance of wind farms situated 500 m from the respondents' home) of wind farms in Germany. The respective data were gained from a representative random survey (n = 2.009) in Germany. The findings show that most of the aforementioned predictors significantly influence the public acceptance of wind energy. Perceived risks and fairness become (more) important in the context of both general and local acceptance of onshore wind farms, while the general attitude toward the energy transition is of greater relevance in the context of the general acceptance of offshore wind farms. Furthermore, trust in large energy companies plays a mixed role concerning general and local acceptance. Our results provide valuable insights for understanding public reactions toward wind energy projects.

Zusammenfassung

In unserem Beitrag rekonstruieren wir anhand qualitativer Leitfadeninterviews die Ursachen für stark abweichende Energieverbräuche in Privathaushalten. Bei der Auswahl geeigneter Zielhaushalte konnten wir auf direkt gemessene Verbrauchsdaten zurückgreifen, die im Rahmen des BMBF-geförderten Projektes \glqqSEE -- Stadt mit Energieeffizienz Stuttgart\grqq erhoben wurden. Auf Basis dieser Daten wählten wir 31 möglichst heterogene Haushalte aus, die wir mit problemzentrierten Leitfadeninterviews eingehend zu ihren Energieverbräuchen und dahinterliegenden Rationalitäten befragt haben. In unserem Beitrag stellen wir sieben dieser Haushalte vor, die sich nicht nur bezüglich Lebenslage und Energieverbrauch stark unterscheiden, sondern auch differentielle subjektive Deutungen für den Umgang mit Energie anbieten. Wir arbeiten charakteristische Erklärungsmuster heraus, die auf prägnanten Konfigurationen von Verhaltensweisen und Motiven, Lebenslage und Ressourcenausstattung sowie gesellschaftlichen Kontextbedingungen fußen. Unsere Analysen legen nahe, dass die für einen nachhaltigen Energieverbrauch optimale Verbindung von Effizienz- mit Suffizienzbestrebungen eher unwahrscheinlich ist. Es empfehlen sich zielgruppenspezifische Interventionen.

Zusammenfassung

Marco Sonnberger identifiziert auf Basis problemzentrierter Interviews verschiedene individuelle sowie sozio-ökonomische Faktoren, die entweder eine begünstigende oder eine hemmende Wirkung auf den Erwerb einer Photovoltaikanlage in Privathaushalten entfalten können. Insbesondere werden drei typische mentale Modelle der Kaufentscheidung herausgearbeitet: Ein ökonomisch dominiertes mentales Modell, das fast vollkommen von finanziellen Erwägungen bestimmt wird; ein ökologisch dominiertes mentales Modell, das hauptsächlich ökologische Motive umfasst; sowie ein hybrides mentales Modell, das sowohl ökonomische als auch ökologische Motivlagen verbindet. Als zentral erweist sich dabei die Hybridität der Motivlagen zwischen Umweltschutz und finanzieller Rentabilität und die damit verbundene Beeinflussung der individuellen Wahrnehmung von Treibern und Hemmnissen. Der Inhalt Bestandsaufnahme der Photovoltaik in Deutschland Stand der Forschung zum Erwerb von Solaranlagen Theoretischer Rahmen zur Untersuchung von Kaufentscheidungen Methodisches Vorgehen: Laddering und problemzentriertes Interview Die Zielgruppen Dozenten und Studenten aus den Bereichen Soziologie, Psychologie und Marketing Praktiker aus dem Bereich der Energiewirtschaft, der Solarbranche und des Marketings Der Autor Marco Sonnberger ist Soziologe und Politikwissenschaftler und arbeitet derzeit als wissenschaftlicher Angestellter am Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Risiko- und Innovationsforschung (ZIRIUS) der Universität Stuttgart.

Zusammenfassung

Die Energiewende ist ein gesellschaftliches Großprojekt, das neben Investitionen in erneuerbare Energien, Stromnetze und Speichertechnologien auch die aktive Unterstützung der deutschen Bevölkerung erfordert. Aus diesem Grund ist es wichtig, die Vorstellungen der Bürgerinnen und Bürger vom Umbau des Energiesystems zu ergründen. Für ein möglichst umfassendes Bild sind hierfür sowohl standardisierte, quantitative Studien, wie z. B. repräsentative Befragungen, als auch tiefergehende, qualitative Untersuchungen, wie z. B. Fokusgruppen, notwendig. Aus beiden Quellenbereichen können so wertvolle Lehren für das zukünftige Vorgehen gezogen werden.