Between frustration and freedom: Mobility of young people in Germany
A study for ADAC Stiftung on attitudes and behavior in mobility
Background
Although young people will play a decisive role in shaping the future and will live in it, their views are still largely underrepresented in research and politics. The study, commissioned by ADAC Stiftung in 2025 and conducted jointly by SINUS-Institut and University of Essen-Duisburg, aims to give young people between the ages of 16 and 27 a voice and provide differentiated data on their attitudes and behavioral routines in the context of mobility.
Based on qualitative explorations and quantitative representative surveys, the study examines how young people perceive and evaluate mobility from their respective perspectives.
- How do young people feel about mobility in times of climate change?
- What are their expectations for mobility?
- How do they assess the status quo in Germany?
- What do they want and expect for the future?
- And how much do Gen Z's perspectives and behavior differ from those of the general population?
- What role does social milieu play in terms of mobility attitudes and behavior in relation to other explanatory factors?
With its qualitative survey modules and an extensive representative survey of 2,006 respondents aged between 16 and 27, this is one of the most comprehensive empirical studies on Gen Z's attitudes to mobility in Germany.
In order to compare attitudes and behavior patterns across society as a whole, people between the ages of 28 and 74 were also surveyed in addition to Gen Z.
Key findings
- Mobility is part of everyday life and is therefore not suitable as an ideological project: young people expect and want mobility services that function reliably and are available across the board. Mobility is considered a prerequisite for social participation and equality between urban and rural areas.
- When choosing a mode of transport, functionality and suitability for everyday use are the main considerations: dissatisfaction with the status quo prevails, especially with regard to public transport services and the stark urban-rural divide in terms of mobility options for people without cars.
- Young people use multimodal transport and would like to see a significant improvement in services, especially in public transport and sharing services: For many, the car remains an important part of this mix of transport modes – but often more out of structural necessity than conviction.
- Sustainability is taken into account in mobility, but rarely guides action: Moralizing discourse is rejected. Young people expect sustainable mobility alternatives that are suitable for everyday use and are critical of normatively justified restrictions on less climate-friendly modes of transport.
- Young people are open to innovations and changes towards sustainable mobility. However, they are only cautiously optimistic that the necessary changes will take place in the near future.