This scares the Swiss

The record summer is still well remembered. Best weather and high temperatures for weeks. But also a great drought, crops are suffering from heat. And the glaciers you’ll almost watch melt.

This scares the Swiss, as the Credit Suisse Concern Barometer 2022 shows. The environment is the biggest concern (39 percent). Above all, the consequences of climate change and environmental disasters are causing problems for Switzerland. In second place (37 percent) is the issue of AHV/retirement.

Fear of security of supply

Important: The climate of concern this year is characterized by the emergence of new issues of uncertainty regarding the war in Ukraine. These include energy problems (3rd, 25 percent), rising inflation (5th, 24 percent) and security of supply (7th, 21 percent). This includes energy, medicines and food. This is the first time this concern appears in the ranking.

“There seems to be a certain tension among the public about these issues,” says Cloé Jans of the gfs.bern research institute, which collects the Worry Barometer. “The situation is still bearable for most at the moment. However, awareness of these issues is increasing significantly.” The issue of relations with Europe worries 24 percent of the respondents (4th place).

evergreen migration

For Manuel Rybach, responsible for political and regulatory issues at CS, the situation is clear: “Switzerland’s optimism about the future has been significantly overshadowed. Recent economic and geopolitical developments are already starting to take effect.”

Inflation (5 percent, 24 percent) is another addition to the top five concerns. Health care, a traditional priority, is also mentioned. However, only 24 percent of respondents (rank 6). For comparison: It was 41 percent in 2019.

Finally, ninth and tenth are two long-standing problems with immigration: foreigners (9th, 19 percent) and refugees and asylum issues (10th, 16 percent). (be)