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Article History

Received: 5 April 2018

Accepted: 27 November 2018

First Online: 5 December 2018

Ethics approval and consent to participate

: All participants volunteered and received a data protection declaration in agreement with the Helsinki Declaration. The study was approved according to the ethical guidelines of the “German Professional Institutions for Social Research” (Arbeitskreis Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Sozialwissenschaftlicher Institute, Berufsverband Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforscher) and has the approval number: 072–11-07032011. Verbal informed consent was obtained from all participants. Since the aspects of anonymity and voluntariness were given, there was no need for a written consent in accordance with paragraph 2 §4a of the Federal Data Protection Act, as otherwise it could have led to sample bias in this scientific investigation - due to its representative research design. The comprehensive written information of the study participants about the exact use of the collected data through a privacy sheet and an accompanying written study information is sufficient for the legislator in this case of research.In this study, all selected participants were first informed orally about the research background of the study and its voluntary nature and the right of subsequent cancellation of own participation. Since this was a face-to-face survey, the random selection of the target person (Kish-Selection) in the household was always carried out with an adult contact person.In addition to an accompanying official letter of authority for research projects all interested participants were also handed over a written privacy policy, which assured the strict confidentiality of all information given in the questionnaire and informed about the precise handling of personal-identifying data. The participants were assured that their address (identified at an oral onsite survey) was only detected for mapping the data set during the survey phase (and possibly for a subsequent verification of the correct implementation for quality assurance of the data) to ensure the respondents’ anonymity in respect of the contracting authority. After completion of the study the relation of these data to the collected contents was irrevocably separated.

: Not applicable

: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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