Question: We recommend changing the question text due to the fact that the Blue Angel is not the environmental protection label of the Umweltbund, but of the Federal Environment Agency or the Federal Ministry for the Environment:
“What does the Federal Environmental Agency/Federal Ministry for the Environment's environmental protection label look like?” [Wie sieht das Umweltschutzlabel des Umweltbundesamtes/Bundesumweltministeriums aus?]
Answer options: No changes recommended.
Do the test persons have problems understanding or answering the question?
Of the ten test persons, half chose the correct answer option "Blue angel" (TP 03, 05, 06, 08, 10). Test person 07 chose the answer "Green tree" and the remaining four test persons stated that they did not know the answer to the question (TP 01, 02, 04, 09).
Of those who said they did not know the answer, three said that some of the signs seemed familiar to them, but they were unsure and therefore did not give an answer:
Other test persons answered intuitively using signs they were familiar with. In some cases, they also found themselves in conflict with the assignment to the Umweltbund.:
Some test persons thus found it difficult to link a sign they knew with the Umweltbund, but it varied whether they actually chose an answer or said they did not know the answer. Some test persons used the exclusion principle and chose the sign that was familiar to them.
How sure are the test persons that their answer is correct?
As can be seen in Table N2_F9, only two test persons were very certain of the correctness of their answer (TP 06, 10). Both test persons had answered the question correctly and stated that they knew the Blue Angel label. They did not mention whether they were familiar with the Blue Angel as a symbol of the Umweltbund, the Federal Environment Agency or another institution.
The other three test persons who had answered the question correctly were "rather certain", "rather uncertain" or even "very uncertain" of their answer (TP 03, 05, 07, 08). They all chose the Blue Angel due to the fact that they were familiar with the label. Their uncertainty stemmed from the fact that they did not know whether this was the mark of the Umweltbund or of another institution. Test persons who had not selected an answer ("Don't know") were not asked for their assessment (TP 01, 02, 04, 09).
How difficult (for the general public) do the test persons think the question is?
As can be seen in Table N3_F9, test persons 06 and 10 trusted their answers and were confident in their correctness, due to the fact that they gave the highest percentages. These test persons inferred others based on their own knowledge and judgment.
Also consistent with perceived certainty were the percentages given by test persons 05 and 07. Due to being "very uncertain" about the correctness of their answers, they inferred that few of the later respondents would know the correct answer.
If we also compare the values given, which are above and below 50%, it becomes apparent that most (n = 7) estimated that comparatively few of the later respondents would know the correct answer. Considered across all test persons and answers, the test persons are of the opinion that rather special knowledge is asked here.