The three-year project brings together research from the fields of mosquito and virus biology, environmental and climate research, and behavioural science. In addition to the BNITM, the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (Berlin), the University of Erfurt, the University of Heidelberg and the University of Bamberg are involved. The total funding amounts to around 1.2 million euros.

“Artificial light at night is an environmental factor that has so far been scarcely taken into account systematically in infection research,” says Professor Esther Schnettler, head of the Mosquito Virus Interactions research group at the BNITM and coordinator of the network. “We assume that light pollution, together with rising temperatures, alters the behaviour of mosquitoes – for example, their activity, biting behaviour or overwintering patterns. This may have implications for the risk of virus transmission.”

The network is divided into four closely interlinked subprojects:

• At the BNITM, researchers are investigating how artificial light and temperature influence the biology of Culex pipiens, the main vector of the West Nile virus in Germany – from gene regulation to transmission potential.
• Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin are analysing how light, temperature, water quality and microorganisms in urbanised habitats influence the development and fitness of mosquitoes.
• The Health Communication Research Group (BNITM / University of Erfurt) is investigating how people perceive risks posed by mosquitoes and how they adjust their protective measures and exposure behaviour in everyday life.
• At the University of Heidelberg, the data collected is integrated into mathematical models to create spatially and temporally resolved risk maps and scenarios for future developments.
• The University of Bamberg is contributing its expertise in digital health research and providing the technical infrastructure for an app designed to record protective behaviour and mosquito exposure in everyday life.

The aim is to bring together biological, ecological and social data in order to assess transmission risks more realistically. The One Health Platform is supporting the project as an inter- and transdisciplinary network. The research findings are intended to lay the foundations for improved infection prevention, for example through surveillance systems, evidence-based communication strategies or the use of lighting in urban areas. Plans include open datasets, digital tools and contributions from citizen science initiatives.

Majorities are underestimated, minorities overestimated

In five studies with a total of more than 5,000 participants from Germany and the USA, the research team investigated how people assess the attitudes and behaviour of others with regard to climate protection. This initially confirmed a familiar pattern: the vast majority of respondents supported climate protection measures in principle, and this majority was underestimated by others. However, when the researchers examined actual, comparatively rare climate protection behaviour for the first time, the opposite pattern emerged: the participants significantly overestimated how many others actually donated money for climate protection or were politically active.

The researchers explain this simultaneous underestimation and overestimation through a general psychological mechanism: people tend to mentally shift extreme values "towards the centre". As a result, large majorities are underestimated and small minorities overestimated.

"Part of what has so far been labelled pluralistic ignorance – the assumption that other people are less willing to protect the climate than they actually are – could be due to very general thought processes when estimating proportions," explains Tiede. "This changes the perspective on a field of research that has grown considerably in recent years – and also the conclusions we can draw from it."

Greater focus on communicating solutions and political framework conditions

The results are particularly relevant for the public debate on climate communication. In recent years, it has often been suggested that informing people about the broad support for climate protection could trigger more social commitment. However, in the studies, correcting such misperceptions did not increase the willingness to donate money for climate protection. "Our results suggest that correcting misperceptions alone is not enough to promote actual climate protection behaviour," says Tiede.

Rather, it is necessary to tackle practical hurdles, a lack of knowledge about effective measures or political framework conditions that facilitate climate-friendly behaviour. Tiede continues: "Support for climate protection already exists in many areas and this finding is very robust. However, the key challenge may be less about convincing people and more about facilitating climate-friendly behaviour and making effective solutions visible."

Publication
Tiede, K. E., Maur, K. & Betsch, C. (2026). People systematically under- and overestimate public engagement in climate action. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02668-z

The Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour investigates how people act in ways that benefit both health and the climate, and how behaviour can be changed through communication, policy and interventions. The jury considered the combination of a clear mission, interdisciplinary research (8 professorships, 41 members) and targeted knowledge transfer to be worthy of recognition. Interdisciplinary teams, dialogue formats and international networks promote cooperation, practical relevance and the early involvement of early-stage researchers. The Advisory Board particularly commends the combination of research and practice-oriented knowledge transfer.

Professor Cornelia Betsch, Director of the IPB: “I am proud of this award – but above all that it was initiated by our early-career researchers. It shows that the IPB’s vision – research and impact as part of a vibrant society – is coming to fruition and is valued. And everyone contributes to this, every day.”

For our students, participation provided an excellent opportunity to see topics from their studies reflected in current professional discussions, gain new perspectives, and establish valuable contacts.

Special thanks go to Dr. Ute Teichert, physician and specialist in public health, for her support and warm guidance of our students during the congress. We felt very welcome.

We are delighted by the many ideas and inspirations that our students brought back with them.

The presented studies demonstrate that these target groups differ considerably in their information needs and perceived barriers. The findings highlight the importance of tailoring health communication strategies and information campaigns to the specific characteristics of different audiences.

In addition to her work on vaccination decision-making, Dr. Eitze's research at the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour (IPB) focuses on pandemic preparedness, women's health—with particular attention to the stigmatisation of endometriosis and menstrual health—and patient empowerment. At the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, she serves as Deputy Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Behavioral Research in Global Health (WHO CC BRIGHT).

Photo: © MAGS NRW / Barbara Bechtloff