Switzerland’s tremendous diversity
Published
28.08.2024
What do older people think of the younger generation, poor people think of wealthy ones and those living in the countryside think of city dwellers - and vice versa? A study commissioned by the Migros Culture Percentage assesses the mood in Switzerland.
Are differences a good thing or not?
For most respondents, diversity is something positive: 70% believe that diverse perspectives and life experiences make it easier to make better decisions. Some 5% reject this statement, while the rest are divided. Despite all the differences, 63% of respondents say that there are many similarities between most people. Around 8% do not share this view.
Is diversity part of Switzerland's DNA?
"For me, diversity is what makes Switzerland what it is" – this belief is shared by half of those surveyed. A total of 32% partially agree and 16% disagree with the statement. Looking back, 52% see the increase in diversity in recent decades as positive. However, only 35% of respondents would like to see even more diversity in Switzerland – and 27% are against this.
People on the political right are more sceptical
Those on the political right tend to be more critical of diversity than those on the left: only 35% of SVP voters consider diversity to be an essential feature of Switzerland. Among sympathisers of the SP and the Greens, 66% share this opinion.
Does too much diversity cause fear?
Immigration and new forms of gender identity are making society more diverse. However, a quarter of respondents believe differences between people that are too great jeopardise cohesion. Just under a third agree with this statement to some extent. Reservations about ‘too much diversity’ are also reflected in another statement, with 44% believing that minorities receive too much attention and that the wellbeing of the majority should be prioritised. Here too, one-third of respondents partially agree.
Are minorities disadvantaged in Switzerland?
Some 42% of respondents believe they are, while 31% see at least a minor level of discrimination. Around one-quarter do not share this view. Nevertheless, half of those surveyed are in favour of striving for more visibility and legal recognition – only 14% reject this.
Quotas? Preferably not!
Only 36% of respondents consider quotas for women and minorities to be a legitimate means of combating inequity. The approval rate for political participation at a municipal level by people without a Swiss passport is even lower at 28%. This call is rejected by 45% of respondents.
Which neighbours would you most prefer?
Someone new moves in next door. How openly he or she is received also depends on their membership of a group. In the thought experiment, people from the countryside land in first place on the popularity scale: 34% of respondents have positive feelings towards them. This is followed by people from Ticino (33%) and those with a high level of education (29%). One-third of respondents have negative feelings towards SVP sympathisers, closely followed by people with asylum status (32%) and members of the Muslim faith (29%). However, the vast majority of respondents are neutral towards all the groups surveyed.
Political views divide
No characteristic divides people more than political attitudes. The majority of people who are supporters of the SP or the Greens have negative or somewhat negative feelings towards potential right-wing neighbours (64%). Conversely, respondents from the right-wing camp have slightly less resentment towards potential left-wingers (49%). There is also a strong division between rich and poor, with a dislike of 20% on both sides.
Younger people are more critical of individual groups
Young people have more negative feelings towards individual groups than older respondents. This also applies to topics where one would expect them to be more open, such as transgenderism, veganism and homosexuality. Young people are surprisingly polarised here. Almost one-quarter of religious respondents have a negative attitude to issues relating to sexuality and gender identity.
There is little contact between the various groups
Switzerland is not divided into camps, but people often remain among their own kind. The least contact exists between the poor and rich: almost two-thirds know no one or only a few people from the other group. The gap between highly educated and less educated people is similarly wide. Around half of the left and right do not know anyone or only a few people from the "other camp". The main reason cited for the lack of contact is the lack of opportunities to meet people from different demographic groups.
Wide gap between the language regions
The gap between the language regions is striking: three-quarters of German-speaking Swiss have little or no contact with people from French- or Italian-speaking Switzerland. Conversely, people from French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino know slightly more people from the other language regions.
How other people change our outlook
People who know someone from a different social group tend to think more favourably of this group. For example, non-vegans are only half as likely to have negative feelings towards vegans and more than twice as likely to have positive feelings if they know people who are vegans themselves. This effect can also be observed between members of other groups.
Where we encounter people most often
We most often meet members of other groups through friends. This applies, for example, to people from the city and the countryside, the poor and the rich or the educated and the less educated. The workplace and the neighbourhood are the most common places of encounter between groups sharing greater antipathy. In some cases, there is more contact between Swiss and migrants here than among circles of friends or in clubs.
The study
The Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute canvassed almost 3,500 people between the ages of 16 and 80 from all parts of Switzerland on the subject of diversity on behalf of Migros Culture Percentage. The representative study entitled "Gemeinsam verschieden?" ("Different together?") analyses diversity in terms of various characteristics such as origin, gender identity, age, language region, wealth, education and political orientation. It is the first comprehensive study of its kind in Switzerland. The online survey is supplemented by interviews with people from different groups.
The study marks the launch of Migros Culture Percentage's #diversity initiative, which aims to encourage the population to create new impulses or opportunities for encounters in everyday life. People committed to bringing different population groups together are needed for social cohesion to work. Further information is available at:
Small gestures for greater cohesion
Twenty-six cantons, four national languages and many different cultures and lifestyles - Switzerland has a rich tradition of diversity. To ensure that this continues in the future, we need people who are committed to togetherness rather than merely living alongside one another. What small gestures can improve cohesion in our everyday lives? Tell us your ideas. They could win you one of 100 Migros vouchers worth CHF 100 within the framework of the Migros Culture Percentage’s #diversityinitiative.
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