Swiss population is online more than ever

Digital immigrants are making greater use of the web Keystone

People in Switzerland – especially senior citizens – are spending more time online than ever before. 

Altogether, 90% of adults in Switzerland use the internet, reported the Federal Statistical OfficeExternal link on Monday. In 2014, it was 84%. People are also spending more time online, partly thanks to the popularity of smartphones and tablets. Indeed, the percentage of households with mobile internet access has jumped from 60% in 2014 to 78% in 2017. 

The increase in internet usage has been most dramatic among people over 70; some 45% surf the web today, compared with about 25% in 2014. Among those aged 55-64, 91% use the web, compared to 80% three years ago. 

Online shopping is another driver of increased internet usage, reported the statistics office. Whereas 56% of those surveyed in 2014 had bought something online within the past three months, two-thirds had done so when asked earlier this year. 

However, people appear less security savvy since 2010. About a third of those surveyed this year said that they didn’t use any security software – or that they didn’t even know if they had any. Yet security breaches, such as those caused by viruses, are on the decline. The statistics office attributed this to users delegating security tasks to others, and to the fact that many security updates run automatically.