Swiss like neutrality but worry about money

Swiss are proud of their independence, neutrality and international reputation but worry about unemployment, pensions and healthcare costs.

According to the 2008 Credit Suisse Worry Barometer survey, Swiss people were most concerned about losing their jobs. It was the sixth successive year that employment ranked highest on the list of worries.

The study, conducted by the polling firm gts.bern and released on Monday, also revealed that while refugees and concerns about personal safety troubled Swiss people, they were noticeably less scared about “foreigners” than the previous year.

Some 71 per cent of the 1,000 respondents nevertheless said immigration was a threat to Swiss identity.

Environmental problems, which had made solid gains in the nation’s consciousness last year, receded to late-1990s levels.

Almost everybody – 97 per cent – said the country’s watchmaking industry was something to be proud of, 93 per cent cited Swiss neutrality and 87 per cent the country’s constitution.

“Growing national pride goes hand in hand with growing awareness of traditional Swiss values,” Credit Suisse wrote.

For the first time, the bank measured confidence in different media. The most-trusted sources were television and radio. Just under half of those asked had confidence in paid-for newspapers, followed by free newspapers and the internet.