The week in Switzerland
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Have you booked your flights/hotels/stadium seats for the 2026 football World Cup, which kicks off in less than three weeks in the United States, Canada and Mexico? If you have, Swiss public broadcaster SRF has some dos and don’ts to minimise your chances of being turned away at the border.
In Switzerland the dream of owning one’s own home – often a detached house in the countryside – continues to come up against two obstacles: money and limited supply.
While 70% of people aged 25-40 want to own their own property, only 16% of homeowners are thinking of selling theirs, according to an annual survey by MoneyPark and Helvetia published on Wednesday.
Only a third of tenants said they were satisfied with their home, compared with 54% of flat owners and 89% of house owners.
“Many people would prefer to live in more rural settings but move to urban centres for reasons related to work, infrastructure and the social environment,” said MoneyPark CEO Lukas Vogt. “As a result, we’re witnessing not so much a rural exodus as a process of urbanisation.”
Separately, on June 14 the Swiss are going to the polls, as they do on average four times a year. In Zurich, the dominant issue is the housing shortage: two initiatives are calling for protection against evictions and the construction of more affordable housing.
Soaring fuel prices are forcing the Swiss to reassess the way they travel, with more and more cars being left in the garage.
Of the 1,000 people questioned by the Marketagent Schweiz research institute between the end of April and mid-May, 42.1% said they were using public transport more often and 35.2% were walking more frequently. In addition 23.6% said they were cycling or using a scooter more, while 14.7% were working from home more often.
While 62% said they were already feeling the impact of rising fuel prices on their wallets, most (56.9%) aren’t planning on buying an electric vehicle because of this situation.
If they were to buy a new car, 32.6% would choose a hybrid, but petrol (31%) would still come out ahead of an electric vehicle (26.1%). Diesel, on the other hand, is losing ground, with only 7.1% of respondents considering this type of engine.
The share of overweight and obese pupils in Switzerland has dropped from about 20% in 2005 to 15.5% today – the lowest level since BMI (Body Mass Index) monitoring began.
The biggest drop has been seen at primary level, where the rate fell by five percentage points. In lower secondary it dropped by three points, according to Health Promotion Switzerland, which published the figures on Tuesday.
The data shows little difference between boys and girls, and over the past 20 years differences linked to nationality have narrowed, but gaps linked to social background have remained. When all factors are taken into account, social background emerges as the most important “risk factor”.
Three days earlier, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) reported that there were “too many chubby children” in Switzerland and that the government wanted to “massively reduce” advertising for unhealthy food such as chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks in schools, at the cinema and on television. To this end, the government is relying on the help of businesses such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and supermarkets. The NZZ said the aim is for the voluntary self-regulation to be signed before the end of the year, so that the new advertising rules come into force in 2027.
The 2026 men’s football World Cup kicks off in North America on June 11. Switzerland have qualified and are playing two of their three group games in California – but, as Swiss public broadcaster SRF wondered this week, “is travelling to the US a good idea at the moment?”
“According to the Swiss foreign ministry website, travel to the US is generally safe,” SRF reassured readers on Monday, noting that the foreign ministry warns of the risk of terrorist attacks when travelling in almost all countries, including the United States. It also explicitly urges people to exercise caution when attending sporting and cultural events in the US, “but, even upon request, the foreign ministry doesn’t clarify what exactly is meant by ‘exercising caution’”.
SRF reminds fans that to enter the US as a tourist for up to 90 days, they don’t need a visa but they do need an ESTA travel authorisation – although it warned that this wasn’t a guaranteed entry ticket. “Since US President Donald Trump’s second term in office, the popularity of travel to the US has declined. This is partly due to reports of people being denied entry despite having valid travel documents.”
Lorenz Wolffers, a lawyer in New York specialising in immigration law, told SRF that entry into the US for Swiss citizens with a valid passport and ESTA is, in the vast majority of cases, problem-free. “However, difficulties arise if a person has a criminal record, whether in the US or in Switzerland.” Even minor offences such as speeding could lead to the ESTA being cancelled at short notice or entry being refused, he warned.
Problems can also arise if the authorities suspect that – despite entering as a tourist – a person intends to work in the US. To this end, Wolffers said officials could also use information from a traveller’s mobile phone or laptop. “Anyone who regularly logs into their Swiss employer’s system while in the US is already operating in a grey area.”
The week ahead
La Chaux-de-Fonds is Switzerland’s first-ever Swiss Capital of Culture for 2027. On Tuesday it will unveil some of the highlights of its programme.
Thursday is exactly one year since a massive landslide wiped out most of the mountain village of Blatten. A commemorative ceremony will be held in Blatten.
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