A new survey shows that, despite global crises, most people in Switzerland remain surprisingly optimistic about the future, especially German-speaking Swiss and older residents.
The Swiss have only just finished collectively celebrating the success of their national side which – unlike the German national team – at least reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, before going out to Argentina.
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People in Switzerland clearly know that a lost match is not the end of the world, as 80 percent of them are nevertheless looking to the coming year with confidence.
That is the finding of a new survey. Commissioned by the insurance company Helvetia Baloise, it questioned 1,866 people in German- and French-speaking Switzerland.
"Our study shows that confidence does not arise in a vacuum, but grows where people experience support, closeness, encouragement and financial security," explains Markus Bucheli, Head of Marketing & Market Communication at Helvetia Switzerland.
German-speaking Swiss and older people are particularly optimistic
People in German-speaking Switzerland are especially optimistic (compared with French-speaking Switzerland), as are Swiss men and women over the age of 65.
While 76 percent of those under 50 look to the near future with confidence, the figure is 86 percent among over-65s. The survey also shows – hardly surprisingly – that confidence is more widespread the higher people’s income is. The younger the respondents are, the more importance they attach to financial resources.
There is hardly any difference between women and men when it comes to how positively they view the future.
For 77 percent of respondents, the most important goal in life is to grow old in good health. Around half of Swiss people dream of travelling or even of a trip around the world.
When it comes to sources of confidence, friendships, love, family and health top the list, each being named by around 50 percent.
Of those surveyed who would like to have a family, 81 percent believe they will achieve this goal or have already done so.
What is worrying the Swiss?
In June’s referendum, voters rejected the fear campaign against excessive migration. At the ballot box it was particularly voters in French-speaking Switzerland and in the cities who rejected the SVP’s anti-immigration initiative.
What worries people in Switzerland most is whether they will be able to grow old in good health (45 percent). A further 43 percent see potential problems when it comes to financial prosperity.
Among Swiss people who earn less than 4,000 CHF (around 3,700 euros) a month, only 69 percent look to the future with confidence.
According to the study, a lack of financial resources and factors that cannot be influenced, such as health and fate, are seen as the biggest obstacles on the way to achieving people’s own life goals.
In the latest World Happiness Report, Switzerland ranked 10th - well behind the long-standing leaders Finland, Iceland and Denmark. Germany, by contrast, had at least climbed to 17th place, five positions higher than in 2025.
