Between assignment of guilt and exploitation: The construction of the lower class in the media and scientific sustainability discourse.

(05/2026)

Abstract

Sustainability is omnipresent in societal debates and often regarded as a shared value and guiding principle, with sustainable behaviour primarily attributed to individual responsibility and behavioural adaptation, while structural conditions fade into the background. This can hide the fact that low-income households often act sustainably out of economic necessity and their conditions of action are unequal. This study examines the underexplored representation of low-income households in media and scientific sustainability discourses using Siegfried Jäger’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). In scientific discourse, they vary between absent affected groups, lectured addressees, and morally addressed consumers. In the media articles, they remain largely invisible, while sustainable behaviour is primarily portrayed as an individual consumption choice. The findings highlight the need for greater consideration of structural conditions and the perspectives of those affected.