Swiss not exactly “warm and friendly”

A new study shows that the Swiss are not exactly warm and friendly Keystone Archive

A new study has revealed that the Swiss are not considered as warm and friendly as some of their European neighbours.

“Switzerland’s Image in the United Kingdom,” a study published by the University of Bern, shows that the British regard the Swiss as rather cold and unfriendly, compared with people of the Netherlands or Austria.

The study, based on popular opinion, and the views of British politicians, journalists, managers and students, deals with issues such as the quality of life, political stability, environmental policies, the standard of education and certain stereotypes.

Not surprisingly, Switzerland came first in the category of quality of life, overtaking the Netherlands by 0.8 per cent and Austria by 1.5 per cent.

In the ranking of the countries’ overall image in the UK, Switzerland comes third with 64 per cent after Holland (66 per cent)and Austria with 59.8 per cent. The United Kingdom itself ranks first with 78.8 per cent.

British MPs show antipathy

British members of parliament in particular showed a general antipathy towards Switzerland, with only 35 per cent perceiving Switzerland’s image as positive.

However, 69 per cent of the British managers taking part in the study consider Switzerland’s image as good, as do 64 per cent of the general public and 59 per cent of British journalists.

The study also shows that after receiving more information about the country, many interviewees changed their minds about Switzerland. The exception was managers, who did not change their minds about the Swiss image after receiving more information.

During the course of the survey all participants received general information about Switzerland, which resulted in a more positive vote within some of the survey groups.

The percentage of students voting in favour of Switzerland rose, for example, from 62 to 68 per cent.

Broader knowledge

The study also revealed that British members of parliament, journalists and managers had a broader knowledge about Switzerland than the general population or students.

Fewer than half of the students were aware of the fact that Switzerland was not part of the European Union, whereas 97 per cent of parliamentarians knew the right answer to the question.

Only 22 per cent of MPs knew that Swiss architects were involved in designing the Tate Modern gallery in London, however, it was still the highest rate within the participants.

Only 13 per cent of students and 18 per cent of journalists were aware of it.

swissinfo