Political scientist classifies conflicts between generations: Poor middle class: is it all just imagination?

No. “What is true,” says political scientist Sarah Bütikofer: “Today people are much more willing to spend money than previous generations: they eat out more often, go on vacation more often and buy electronic devices more often.”

Conflicts across generations

However, it is also true that a family with three children and one salary could probably afford a house forty years ago. Today, that’s practically impossible for a middle-class family without an inheritance.

This is also evident from the study ‘This is how Switzerland thinks’, which is representative of German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland and was conducted by the Sotomo Institute on behalf of Blick. To the question: “In general: who can or can afford more: the family you grew up in or your current family?”, 38 percent of people over 55 answer clearly: the family of today. Only 17 percent of 18 to 35 year olds confirm this. 27 percent of them are convinced that the family they grew up in could clearly afford more.

The finding is supported by other studies. “Today’s young generation in the West is the first to think that one day they will be less well off than their parents,” Bütikofer explains.

‘Mental load’ also plays a role

According to the political scientist, there is even more to this sense of decline: social change: “Nowadays, both parents usually work, perhaps even as commuters. Organizing work and family life is more demanding.”

It is no wonder that the phenomenon of ‘mental strain’ is so much discussed these days. “Life used to seem simpler and more relaxed,” she says. “Even though there is a lot of nostalgia, the feeling in many families that you are under great pressure also has something to do with that.”