Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss men aspire to live to 108.5 years old

People on treadmill
The coronavirus pandemic appears not to have dampened people's longevity aspirations. Keystone / Ettore Ferrari

Swiss men have targeted an ideal lifespan of 108.5 years, while women are content with an average of 93.4 years of life. A survey of 2,000 people by the health insurer Sanitas found that many people are making changes to their lifestyle to secure a longer life.

Two thirds of respondents said they are physically active and eat healthy food while more than half refrain from smoking and a fifth abstain from alcohol.

The “Health Forecast” survey, which aims to come out annually, found that 40% of people currently use an app to monitor their health.  More than a quarter of respondents would employ blood and DNA tests to determine optimal nutritional supplements and other tailor-made fitness measures.

Young men, in the 18-29 age range, appear keener than anyone else to actively boost their health and fitness levels. A third of male respondents in this age group (compared to 20% of all ages and genders) would consider ‘biohacking’ – a buzzword that involves enhancing health via diet, exercise, wearables and sometimes implants, such a microchips, or genetic engineering.

Only half as many women in this age group said they would be prepared to go to such lengths.

The survey also reveals more detail on attitudes to genetic science. Some 58% support gene therapy to treat cancer, 54% are in favour of gene diagnostics to diagnose hereditary diseases and 44% welcome prenatal screenings.

But three-quarters of respondents said this science should stop short of active intervention by altering genes or producing clones.

Coming soon Lost Cells A podcast uncovering the human stories behind private stem cell banking's promises and failures. Get notified

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Grand Prix Art for art casters, artists and architects

More

Winners of top Swiss art award announced

This content was published on Felix Lehner, Pamela Rosenkranz and Miroslav Sik have been awarded the Swiss Grand Award for Art/Prix Meret Oppenheim 2025.

Read more: Winners of top Swiss art award announced
Watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

More

Swiss watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

This content was published on The watch industry had to contend with a weakening of its exports last year, which reached a volume of CHF25.9 billion ($28.5 billion).

Read more: Swiss watch exports down 2.8% in 2024

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR