53% said they missed hugs and handshakes. Pictured here: a woman embraces her grandmother through a plastic "hug curtain" in Brazil.
Keystone / Sebastiao Moreira
Nearly half of the people in Switzerland would welcome more personal space. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, many say social situations were too close for comfort.
In a survey commissioned by Swiss dating agency Parship.ch, 42% of men and 48% of women said they wanted more distance in everyday life. Regardless of age and gender, around four out of ten respondents said they had felt obliged to allow more contact than they would have liked.
However, 53% miss hugs and handshakes. Yet many could do without hello and goodbye kisses. According to the survey, 38% miss that ritual. Among those under 30, it’s only 22%.
Two out of three respondents said that the current hygiene rules were creating unnatural distance between people, and that they looked forward to life as it used to be.
“In everyday life there is a clear difference between wanting more contact and having to have more contact because social norms dictate it,” according to Parship.ch psychologist Dania Schiftan.
Digital market and opinion researcher MarketAgent conducted the study in late June / early July. It surveyed 1,008 people aged 18-69 in German- and French-speaking Switzerland.
More
Opinion
More
The future of handshaking
This content was published on
Coronavirus can transform our habits and our ideas of “living together” in Europe, write law researchers Ashley Mantha-Hollands and Liav Orgad.
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
This content was published on
A Geneva-registered tourist plane grazed some ski mountaineers on Saturday on a glacier on the Swiss side of the Monte Rosa massif.
Sharp rise in reports of suspicious sports betting in Switzerland
This content was published on
Last year the Intercantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority received 184 reports of suspicious activities in connection with 166 sports competitions.
Swiss fencers apologise for diplomatic scandal with Israel
This content was published on
Two days after causing a diplomatic scandal at the U23 European Championships in Tallinn, the Swiss fencers responsible have published a jointly signed apology on Instagram.
Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets
This content was published on
The concentration of potentially harmful chemicals in climbing gyms is sometimes higher than on busy roads, say researchers from Switzerland and Austria.
This content was published on
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved slightly higher sales at the start of the year. However, profits fell sharply, partly due to the late Easter.
Switzerland’s first padel court on water built in Arosa
This content was published on
Switzerland's first padel tennis court on water will open on the Obersee in Arosa, canton Graubünden, for the 2025 summer season.
This content was published on
Wine consumption in Switzerland fell by almost 8% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Swiss wines are particularly affected by the decline.
Jackie Chan to be honoured for life’s work at Locarno Film Festival
This content was published on
Martial artist Jackie Chan will receive an Honorary Leopard, a lifetime achievement award, from the Locarno Film Festival in southern Switzerland in August.
Novartis raises forecast again after strong Q1 results
This content was published on
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has continued the strong pace of growth of recent quarters in the first three months of 2025.
Join the conversation!