Binge-drinking and psychological stress up among young Swiss
Smoking is down among young Swiss, but excessive drinking is up
Keystone / Martin Ruetschi
Young people in Switzerland are generally satisfied with their lives. However, their habits have changed over the past ten years: they smoke less, have moved to the left politically and are less homophobic and racist. On the other hand, they drink more and do less sport.
The “Young Adult Survey SwitzerlandExternal link”, which was carried out among 100,000 19-year-olds between 2010 and 2019, was published on Thursday. It is the first time that trends in this age group have been observed over a ten-year period.
The study authors said the “very pleasing” picture that emerges from this decade is that of young adults who are for the most part responsible and generally satisfied with their lives.
Three-quarters of young people in 2019 said they were satisfied, a figure that remained stable over the decade.
However, the proportion of young adults with suicidal thoughts increased. The proportion of boys who thought about suicide almost doubled from 11% (in 2014/15) to 20% (in 2018/19). Risk factors for psychological stress are breaks in education as well as a low level of education. Education thus correlates with the life satisfaction of young adults.
Less than 20% of smokers
Although the satisfaction rate has remained stable, young people’s habits have changed significantly. This is particularly true of smoking: in 2019, 17% of young people smoked, compared with 25% ten years earlier.
On the other hand, there has been an increase in the proportion of young people who say they drink excessively. In 2009, 10% said that they sometimes consumed five glasses of alcohol on the same occasion; this had risen to 17% in 2019.
At the same time, the number of young people doing sports has fallen from 84% to 74%.
The proportion of young people on the left of the political spectrum has risen by 6% to 34%. In addition, more young people are in the centre: 42% compared with 36% previously.
Fewer young people consider themselves to be xenophobic or homophobic. The ratios of those with xenophobic or homophobic views have fallen by around 16 and 14 percentage points respectively. In 2019, 29% considered themselves “somewhat xenophobic” and 15% “somewhat homophobic”.
More
More
How young Swiss differ from older generations
This content was published on
We’ve come up with ten major differences between the generations in Switzerland.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
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.
Read more
More
Can Greta’s generation make a mark on Swiss politics?
This content was published on
Climate change protests spearheaded by a Swedish teen have energised Swiss youth. Can such political participation carry over into the elections?
Study examines youth immigrant integration in Switzerland
This content was published on
The integration of teenagers with immigration background into Swiss society also depends on the country of origin of their parents, a poll finds.
This content was published on
Teens in Switzerland are more satisfied and athletic than most of their peers, and they’re not as ambitious, according to a student well-being study.
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.