Dr. Götz, what does lifestyle research focus on?
Lifestyle research examines how society is structured and segmented. Since the 1970s we have talked about the pluralization of lifestyles and ways of life. When we say ways of life, we mean how people live together – in a marriage, a partnership, as a single parent or a single person. People differ, however, not only in terms of their way of life and their social class, but also in their lifestyles. People’s life choices and lifestyles are closely connected with their basic attitudes.
Which lifestyle groups influence society in Germany?
There are numerous and very different studies, which always find a traditional lifestyle group – one that puts its faith in security, familiarity and traditional virtues. It exists not only as an established upper class, but also in the middle of society, in other words, more in the lower middle class. There is also always a young hedonistic group and a success-oriented, materialistic lifestyle. Then again part of the group that lives in a condition of precarity also has an underdog consciousness. Finally, there is a middle class that does not tend towards extremes. Another group involves socially and ecologically committed people – often intellectuals. Additionally, in cities you encounter creative lifestyles – artists, designers, advertising people and the young LOHAS, people who live Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. Immigrants lead to interesting combinations with German lifestyles.
How have lifestyles changed in Germany in recent years?
Post-materialism and individualization have characterized society since the 1970s. People moved out of their fixed, ancestral roles, which once existed more strongly, for example, in working-class settings or as gender roles within the family. However, lifestyle research has ascertained that individualization does not mean atomization: individuals join together with like-minded people with similar lifestyles. That leads to a significant increase in diversity. In a class society people do not have much freedom of movement, especially not in the lower classes. At the moment we are just experiencing a major societal change, which is generation-specific. There is a new Internet-socialized generation that will – probably – be materially worse off than its parents in the future. This generation is no longer interested in the car as a status symbol in front of its door, and car sharing could become perfectly normal for this age group. This foreshadows something that will possibly restructure our ways of life.
What role does the family still play in an individualized society like the one in Germany?
Family models are also becoming more diverse. Traditional families still exist, but they are becoming rarer. That is associated with the declining cohesion of traditional institutions. As freedom of choice becomes more important, people no longer stay together come hell or high water. This leads to the creation of patchwork families.
How big are the lifestyle differences between town and country?
Cities are lifestyle laboratories. This is where lifestyles develop and are more distinct that in the country. But it is also where they collide with greater intensity. That calls for increased tolerance, since a totally different group can be living in the next house. This diversity of living styles – also with its clear breaks – has an attraction for many people in creative industries. It is definitely a factor in a town or city’s competitiveness.
Is demographic change already having a discernible impact on lifestyle?
A very strong one. The Mick Jagger generation appears at all levels. The members of this generation were the “detraditionalizers” who modernized society in the 1970s. They are now growing old – so they are also developing new, unconventional models for old age: for example, multigenerational houses, shared housing for seniors and alternative cemeteries. They want to live in town centres, want things to be happening in their lives and seek contacts with young people. There will be major change here.
Which other trends are you discovering?
Today there are risks of failure that are completely different from those before the turn of the millennium. Lifestyles are more strongly challenged by crisis situations that call into question living standards as a whole. That compels people to reconsider their lifestyles.
Dr. Konrad Götz
Head of the research unit dealing with mobility and lifestyle analyses at the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE), Frankfurt am Main
