Corona brings fundamental changes to Swiss society
OMG’s COVID-19 Tracker is now in its ninth edition: Switzerland is in the midst of its second summer of the pandemic and finds itself caught between a return to normalcy and the need for caution.
On the one hand, the Swiss are longing for a normal life again, with vacations and restaurant visits, carefree meetings with friends and a life without restrictions. On the other hand, there is still the sword of Damocles of the pandemic - rising case numbers again, fear of infection and the feeling that the crisis will be with us for a long time to come. This is shown by the latest results of the OMG Corona Tracker, which is now in its ninth wave since March 2020.
Most parts of social life have largely returned to normal - 63% are happy to be able to go to restaurants again, half of the car purchases postponed during the crisis have now been made up for, and shopping habits and media use are back to pre-corona levels. The number of people who are worried about their family's health has halved from 37% in winter to 18% now. Personal stress levels are also decreasing.
However, this joy is also accompanied by an incipient laxity towards the FOPH's hygiene measures: men in particular are less and less willing to comply with them. After all, compared to other countries, people in this country feel that they have made good progress through the pandemic. Comparatively speaking, the situation is well under control - that is the general opinion of more than a third of the population - and the trend is rising.
But not everything is normal yet: two thirds of Swiss people believe the crisis is far from over. Public transport remains a source of anxiety for many and the obligation to wear masks on public transport (29%) and when shopping (40%) is seen as an annoying evil. The fewer restrictions remain, the more present they are in the minds of the population.
In view of the summer vacations, 47 percent are particularly bothered by the remaining restrictions on travel: means of transport, destinations, quarantine rules and the uncertainty that everything can change at any time are causing problems for almost half of the Swiss and their travel planning.
Nevertheless, the vacations were eagerly anticipated. More than a third are traveling during the summer vacations, while a further 17% are planning for the autumn vacations. However, around half remain rather pessimistic about traveling in the near future - these are mainly the older respondents over 50.
Overall, the pandemic has also led to some fundamental changes in society - 7 percent have seen their private relationship break down and the same number have lost their job. 12% have changed their living situation, 11% have looked for a new job and some have moved to the countryside.
"The study shows that a number of things have changed in the attitudes and lifestyles of the Swiss over the past year, and possibly for the long term," says Michael Selz, Managing Partner Insights & Strategy at Omnicom Media Group, who is responsible for the study. "Many people have used the pandemic as an opportunity to take a closer look at their living situation, change their priorities and live their lives more consciously. After all, we humans are very adaptable and try to make the best of the situation."
The figures also show this: 36% try to get out of the house more, 32% take more time for themselves and 27% pay more attention to their work-life balance. It is interesting to look at the genders here: while women seem to enjoy having more time for themselves and using it productively, men are increasingly looking for variety through new hobbies, more sweets or alcohol.
There are also (slight) changes in working life: Employees are still - even in July - spending an average of just under two thirds of their working hours working from home - down 3 percent compared to May. For most, this means a better work-life balance, but also lower productivity - 45% are of the opinion that they are less productive when working from home.
The OMG Corona tracker examines how Switzerland is experiencing the coronavirus crisis, the lockdown and the reopening in several waves of surveys. Nine waves have been conducted since March 2020 and more are planned. In each wave, 450 people from German- and French-speaking Switzerland aged between 16 and 75 were surveyed.
