The COVID-19 pandemic as a disruptive event was initially considered an opportunity for a transformation towards more sustainable lifestyles. In two telephone surveys with more than 1000 participants each, we explored in October 2020 and May 2021 how people in Germany experienced the COVID-19 related situation, and in particular the lockdown restrictions. Specifically, we asked how they felt their lives had been impaired during the pandemic; which changes they had experienced as particularly bothersome; which ones they perceived to be beneficial; and how these perceptions related to either their urge to return to “normal” or, in contrast, to their openness towards lifestyle changes.

Overall, we found that by 2021, the pandemic had impacted people more negatively than in 2020. Most respondents missed social contacts, traveling and cultural events. Some positive changes – e.g., spending less money for useless things – were mentioned as well. A third of the participants agreed that they would like to question their behavior before the pandemic and live more consciously. Apart from slight differences in gender, age and, most importantly, academic background, socio-economic characteristics hardly help explain why some people were more open to change than others. Therefore, we conducted a cluster analysis and found that respondents with stronger pro-environmental attitudes were more open to change, no matter how much they felt impacted by the pandemic. This finding indicates that pro-environmental values and education seem to be key for more ecologically responsible lifestyle choices. We herewith provide the original questionnaires and datasets of the surveys.