Honesty over success: the true values of the Swiss population

According to an SBC survey, people living in Switzerland and the Swiss Aborad consider honesty to be the most important factor for a satisfied life. Keystone / Urs Flueeler

What is most important to people in Switzerland and the Swiss Abroad to be satisfied in life? According to a survey by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), SWI swissinfo.ch’s parent company, “being honest” ranks first. “Being successful”, on the other hand, is rather insignificant.

All anyone seems to talk about is “work-life balance”, especially the younger generations, and no one wants to really work anymore: a common lament within business circles. They are making a valid point.

This is shown by previously unpublished results of the SBC opinion poll “How are you, Switzerland?”, conducted last year by the research institute gfs.bern on behalf of the SBC. More than 50,000 people living in Switzerland and Swiss living abroad participated.

Choosing between eight different life mottos, the respondents had to indicate which one they deemed most important. Some 83% were able to identify with one of the listed mottos.

Some of the answers might surprise, especially when the life motto some would have expected in first place appears at the very end: “Most important: success!” A common perception in this country is that success is most likely to be achieved through work, and in terms of work ethic, Switzerland is known to be among the world’s leading countries.

Nevertheless, success ranks second to last, with only the motto “Most important: people remember me!” being considered even less a priority by the participants of the survey.

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Let’s have a look at the other end of the scale. The motto which comes in second place doesn’t seem to fit the cliché image of the Swiss and appears the antithesis to the meritocracy: “Most important: I’m enjoying my life!”

Younger people and French-speaking Swiss deviate

What is the reason for this upside-down world? Are these the new values of the younger generations gaining ground?

Indeed, for younger people, i.e. 16- to 39-year-olds, the life motto “Most important: I’m enjoying my life!” clearly ranks first –  unlike for other age groups. Among the language regions, French-speaking Switzerland is the only one that also prioritises this motto.

For the respondents over 40 and for the non-French-speaking parts of Switzerland, however, a different motto dominates: “Most important: honesty!” This is most clearly agreed with by those over 65 and in Ticino. Younger people, on the other hand, are less strict about honesty. The statement “I lie to other people more often than I actually want to” is completely or rather true for 18% of 16- to 39-year-olds, but for only 4% of those over 65.

Surprisingly far down in the ranking is the life motto: “Most important: fit!” Although the topic of health optimisation is omnipresent, for most respondents of the survey it doesn’t seem to be what really matters in life.  As an example, “Most important: sustainable relationships” and “Most important: I can help others” received even more approval.

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After 2023 and 2024, the opinion poll “How are you, Switzerland?” is being conducted for the third time in 2025. It is one of the largest opinion polls ever carried out in Switzerland. In each of the first two editions, over 50,000 participants answered nearly 300 questions. The survey is an assessment of how the population in Switzerland and the Swiss living abroad are doing and what concerns them. This year’s edition includes new questions, including on the topics of wealth and security.

Participate in the survey in one of the four national languages. External link

This article was written by a journalist from one of the units of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. A member of the “dialogue” editorial team used automatic translation tools to translate it into English. They then reviewed the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. 

Adapted from German with the AI-tool Claude by Claire Micallef/ts