Financial inequality cited as main divider of Swiss society

© Keystone / Gaetan Bally

According to a survey, the gap between rich and poor is the biggest cause of division in Swiss society.

The gap between the better-off and poorer people in Switzerland is considered to be much wider than in Europe, according to the Generation Barometer survey published on Wednesday.

In 2021, the main divide in Swiss society was felt to be between supporters and opponents of Covid-19 restrictions. But after the pandemic subsided, there was a shift in focus, which was reinforced by the rising cost of living caused by inflation and the energy crisis.

The latest survey reveals that the idea of redistributing wealth through inheritance tax is not very popular, however. Almost half of those questioned (47%) do not want an inheritance tax in Switzerland.

Pessimistic youth

The survey also shows that while the Swiss population is generally happier after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted last spring, younger people remain pessimistic. Generation Z – 18-25 year-olds – are particularly downbeat about the future. Only 19% saw the future in a positive light in 2022. 

Young adults feel increasingly discriminated against in the world of work, the survey also found. They complain about a lack of future prospects and do not feel sufficiently understood. More than half of the respondents aged 18-25 believe that there is a generation gap in Switzerland. 

Differences in satisfaction between the generations has never been so high in previous surveys. It was mainly the over-35s who were happier in 2022 than in the previous year. 

A total of 2,787 people over the age of 18 were interviewed online for the third edition of the Generation Barometer in German- and French-speaking Switzerland in November 2022.