Swiss youth more concerned about pensions than immigration

The most frequently used media by Swiss youngsters are WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram. Keystone

Retirement provision is the leading concern for young people in Switzerland ahead of issues like foreigners and refugees, according to the 2018 Credit Suisse Youth Barometer. 

A total of 53% of Swiss youth surveyed claimed they are worried about their pensions, compared to 41% last year. Immigration, which preoccupied almost half those surveyed last year, only registered as a concern among 29% surveyed this year.

Swiss youngsters are more optimistic when it came to the job market. Only 34% felt that their job would disappear due to the threat posed by digitisation compared to almost three out of four young people in US, Brazil and Singapore. The Swiss youth are also the exception when it comes the kind of jobs they preferred. While information technology is the most popular labour sector by far in other countries (US:75%, Brazil:72%, Singapore 75%) young people in Switzerland would rather work in education (56%), the media (53%), tourism (50%) or administration (47%).  Only 43% of Swiss surveyed would choose an IT job. 

Swiss youth are also the most prudent in money matters. They constituted the smallest share that felt their financial obligations were a burden and opted for the biggest savings amount. 

Consumption

News apps, the internet and free newspapers are the leading source of information for Swiss youth. They are less interested in television than their counterparts in other countries. Their top three most frequently used media are WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram. Smartphones, WhatsApp and listening to music were the most “in” things listed while “dumb” phones, drugs and political parties were the most mentioned “out” things. The sharing economy was an important part of their lives but not as much as other countries.

Around 1,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 in the United States, Brazil, Singapore and Switzerland were surveyed for the 2018 Credit Suisse Youth Barometer.