The SOZIAHR research project at the University of Bonn has launched a large-scale population survey to find out the impact of the Ahr Valley flood on people’s lives over the past five years.
Using the Ahr Valley as a case study, the SOZIAHR research project examines which factors promote or hinder long-term social resilience. Among those involved are ECONtribute members Hanna Schwank and Julia Mink, who are leading the research on the “Effects of the Flood on Income and Wealth Inequalities.” ECONtribute member Svenja Hippel is contributing with research on “Climate Protection and Adaptation in Private Reconstruction.”
In addition to conducting important fundamental research, the project aims to develop practical recommendations for action in the Ahr Valley as well as for similarly affected areas in the future. For the survey, approximately 70,000 people were contacted who were registered in the municipalities of Adenau, Altenahr, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Sinzig, and Grafschaft as of the date of the flood and who still live there today or have moved at most once since then. The survey began in early August and will continue until the end of September. The results are scheduled to be published in April 2027.
Find out more in the latest episode of the ECONtribute Wirtschaftspodcast with Hanna Schwank (in German). Listen to it here!