Fiscal vs Environmental Thoughts

Saving money is even more important than saving energy Energy is at the forefront of many political conversations, and with it, the demand for cleaner, more sustainable options. The Ukraine war has placed an unexpected spotlight on the importance of energy-saving measures, highlighting how crucial the development of alternative energy sources is for local and […]

Carnival 2021 – Crazy on The Safe Side

Carnival for Germans peaks in a long weekend from Thursday to Tuesday and is celebrated in different ways depending on the region. Karneval in the West and Fasching in the South, for example. This year, it was cancelled for the whole of Germany. Another typical German long weekend holiday missed due to Corona lockdown. We […]

Dream or Nightmare: Home Office

The two lockdowns forced many employees to work from home for the first time. home office – what some experience as a blessing is a curse for others. While many fight for extended home office options and a right to work from home in the future, others want to go back to their workplaces rather […]

Exciting Joyful Anticipation for The Small Things

Will the lockdown be loosened or continue for another few weeks. All is still in the air in Germany. Though pleasant anticipation is the best kind of delight. After weeks of lockdown and a year of relinquish, what is most looked forward to? Many participants in our community think they will only slowly get used […]

New routines that will stick

Meanwhile, Germans are experienced “Lock-downers”. New routines have become accepted customs and habits. Individual awareness for distance and safety is constantly increasing. But which of these will continue once the lockdown is lifted? What routines will transform to the New Normal? More Me Time While social distancing forcedpeople to stay at home and figure out […]

Increasing Aggressiveness vs Compliance in Lockdown

For 6 weeks, Germany is in full lockdown again and we observe changing attitudes from understanding to complete denial and frustration. When Germany started the lockdown, there was quite a laid-back acceptance of a situation already experienced earlier in the year. It was the second time around and people knew there was no need to […]

Every Cloud has a Silverlining

After weeks of “light” lockdown, Germany went into a full lockdown again on December 16th. Advent, Christmas and even New Year’s Eve – hard to imagine how people would comply and deal with the limitations. That day, IKM started an online diary to observe changes in behavior, compliance, emotions, and observations of consumers in their […]