For the second time, New Year’s Eve will not go off as many are used to: contact restrictions also apply to vaccinated people, and fireworks are forbidden. But how do Germans celebrate New Year’s Eve anyway? In their representative Christmas study, Philipp Rauschnabel, Professor of Digital Marketing and Media Innovation, and PhD student Katrin Schein from the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Neubiberg interviewed 1,166 Germans. For the first time, the New Year’s Eve traditions were also a topic this year. The SZ spoke to Schein about the findings and the work on the study.
SZ: According to your study, sparkling wine, good food, fireworks and the sketch “Dinner for One” are important on New Year’s Eve – no big surprise, right?
Katrin Schein: A lot actually came out that we expected, for example good food. Dancing and parties, on the other hand, are more important for younger people. We were a bit surprised that traditions like wax or lead pouring are no longer of great importance. And we didn’t expect that “Dinner for One” would still be so popular, even with the younger ones.
Do the results of the study correspond to your own preferences?
I’ve caught myself doing a lot of things and discovered a few things that also match my preferences. Especially the fireworks that they have shot themselves: In the study we found that women are more cautious, men less. It’s the same with us in the family, I’d rather watch than shoot myself.
If you have already dealt with festivities like Christmas or New Year’s Eve so intensively in advance: do you still feel like celebrating yourself?
You are still just as happy. Working on the study makes you look forward to it, especially now when a lot of things just don’t work. The study helps a lot to immerse yourself in this mood. Sometimes there are even inspiring aspects.
For example?
I was particularly inspired by the food, especially at Christmas. Otherwise I’ve always been one of those people who eat the same thing every year. But thanks to the study, you can also discover alternatives.
Katrin Schein, 31, is a research assistant and doctoral candidate at the University of the Federal Armed Forces.
(Photo: private)
Such festivals are pleasant subjects. Is it easier to work with than with more serious things?
Above all, it is a nice change to deal with a completely different topic for a month. For many people, the festivals are something beautiful, which is why we always get a lot of positive feedback. And then of course it’s also fun to evaluate the results and see whether you’re celebrating similarly to the average.
December is all about the two festivals. What do you research in the remaining eleven months of the year?
I usually deal with augmented reality and how this technology affects the behavior of consumers, how they perceive such apps and how companies can use them. This is also very exciting, because augmented reality is currently spreading widely.
Will there be a study on Easter or birthday traditions next year?
We can take that with us. But Christmas and New Year’s Eve are big celebrations that are relevant for everyone at the same time. We hope that we can work again next year without any corona questions. This is where it becomes interesting to see whether some traditions will change permanently – for example the fireworks. In the study, we found that, in addition to the sales ban, there are also other reasons against it, such as environmental or animal welfare. Younger people in particular are open to alternatives such as drone shows. Maybe it will happen more often in the future.