Swiss population would like more diversity in the social environment

Diversity is part of Switzerland: 26 cantons, four national languages and a multitude of cultures and lifestyles coexist and interact with one another. But how diverse and mixed is the social environmentof the people in Switzerland? To answer this question, the Migros Culture Percentage commissioned the GDI to conduct a representative survey. The survey analysed characteristics based on Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, which addresses legal equality and non-discrimination, specifically origin, gender, age, language, social status, lifestyle, religious, ideological and political beliefs as well as physical, mental or psychological impairment.

A nation divided by age, education and wealth

The results of polls from all parts of the country show little mixing and diversity among the respondents' acquaintances. People withdifferentlevels of education have few points of contact: the lives of almost two-thirds of highly educated people rarely if ever intersect with those of people who have a low level of education. More than three-quarters of those with little money have little or no contact with affluent people. Among the wealthy, well over half have no or almost no contact with people who have little money. There is also scant mixing in terms of age: half of those under 25 have few or no acquaintances over 65, and vice versa. This despite the fact that just under half of those polled say contact with different generations is enriching. There is also little diversity of political views among acquaintances. Fifty percent of respondents have either a handful or no acquaintances with diametrically opposed political views. Some don't even know their acquaintances' political opinions. What's more, most of those living in Switzerland have no contact with other cultures.

Switzerland's linguistic regions don't hinder social mixing

Contrary to common misconceptions, the differences between the various language regions aren't as great as is often assumed. Although 67% of respondents said that they had few or no people from other language regions in their circle of acquaintances, this is due to a lack of opportunities for contact. There is certainly interest in more contact. When it does take place, it is predominantly viewed positively, especially by the French-speaking Swiss regarding interactions with people from Ticino.

Switzerland lacks opportunities to intermingle

What's the reason for the lack of contact between the various population groups? Less than a quarter of all the groups surveyed said it was due to a lack of common ground. Almost half blamed it on too few opportunities to intermingle. On average, 58.2% of respondents agreed that certain activities, such as club membership, courses, social engagement, cultural events or leisure activities, had made their own circle of acquaintances more diverse.

The Swiss would like greater diversity

Those who are in frequent contact with different groups of people have a more positive attitude towards them. According to the survey, 56% of those polled are at least partly of the opinion that a community can tolerate major differences, just as did the polled groups. In addition, 69% believed that diverse perspectives and life experiences lead to better decisions. Almost half of those surveyed think it's important that minorities are represented politically. What's more, 82% are at least partly of the opinion that diversity helps shape Switzerland. Nearly two-thirds of respondents partly believe that greater diversity among acquaintances would be good for the people living in Switzerland. More than half of them consider the increasing diversity of recent decades as positive. Finally, 68% of respondents try to express themselves in an inclusive manner.

Methodology of the GDI survey "Different together? The major Swiss diversity study"

Eight focus groups with different levels of education, places of residence, political orientations and migration statuses were initially interviewed for the study. Diversity-related topics were discussed in mixed-gender focus groups of four or five people. Two groups each discussed educational differences, political orientation and urbanity (people from urban and rural areas), one group consisted of newcomers and another only had participants from French-speaking Switzerland. Insight from these discussions is included throughout the text as verbatim quotes. The findings of these qualitative interviews were incorporated into a second, quantitative online survey of more than 3000 representatively selected individuals from German-, French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland.

The complete study ‘Different together’

The survey "Different together? The major Swiss diversity study" is now available for interested media professionals to download free of charge in German, French and Italian at www.gdi.ch/vielfalt24.

Information for media representatives:

Franziska Wiesner, Head of Marketing & Communications, Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI), Rüschlikon, tel. +41 (0)79 542 0030 , franziska.wiesner@gdi.ch