Rise in ‘silver surfers’ in Switzerland

The over-65s made a significant contribution to the recent growth in internet use: this year 77.6% regularly use the internet, up from 72.5% two years ago. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Internet use among the over-65s in Switzerland rose sharply over the past two years, according to a national survey of online media behaviour.

The number of people who regularly use the internet in Switzerland continues to grow steadily. The latest study by WEMF AG found that 93.9% of the population aged 14 and over are now online. This is seven percentage points more than ten years ago.

+ The generational digital divide climbs to age 80

The over-65s made a significant contribution to this growth: this year 77.6% regularly use the internet and online applications, researchers found. Two years ago, the figure stood at 72.5%.

In general, most people access the internet via a smartphone (93.6%). This is followed by the laptop (75.4%) and tablet/iPad (50.2%).

A breakdown by gender reveals that more men use the internet than women. But the percentage of women online continues to rise: from 90.4% in 2021 to 92% this year.