This week, a survey was published setting out issues of greatest concern to the Swiss public.
The five biggest issues cited by the Swiss population are of a monetary nature. Economic concerns have
risen, leaving issues such as climate change in sixth place.
The top concern is healthcare costs and health insurance premiums. 41.8% were worried about this. This is the leading concern across all age groups, including those under 30 who are typically less worried about the issue.
In second place, up from 5th last year, is the cost housing. This was listed by 33.4% of those surveyed. This is a greater issue than a year ago for all segments except the young and particularly is acute among the 50-65 age segment, especially in French-speaking Switzerland where 41.8% of this age group were concerned about rising housing costs.
Next was inflation/impending recession (33%), state pensions (28.1%) and energy prices (27.9%). Concerns about inflation have increased significantly compared to last year, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland, where taxes are higher and disposable incomes lower. 39.9% of those in French-speaking Switzerland were concerned about inflation.
The next five were: climate/environment (27.2%), foreigners/refugees (23.3%), energy security (18.7%), global conflicts (15.2%) and the economy (14.7%).
The Swiss Issue Monitor was created as part of the brand study Brand Indicator Switzerland (BIS). The Issue Monitor is purely online, which BIS argues elicits franker answers than face-to-face questions. It is made up of around 2,600 responses from people across French- and German-speaking Switzerland in November 2023.
More on this:
Issue Monitor Switzerland 2024 (in English)
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.