IGEM Digimonitor 2026: AI Use in Switzerland Has Doubled

The Swiss media landscape is undergoing rapid change. This is shown by the IGEM Digimonitor 2026, published jointly by the Interest Group for Electronic Media (IGEM) and Wemf AG for Advertising Media Research. The results are representative of the Swiss population aged 15 to 75 who use the internet—a total of 6.4 million people. Particularly striking: AI usage has doubled within two years, audio streaming has overtaken traditional radio, and digital news reaches nearly the entire population.

AI Is Becoming an Everyday Helper for Information, Learning, and Shopping

Artificial intelligence has become widespread in record time. Since 2024, AI usage has doubled from 40 percent to 80 percent—nearly one in three people already uses AI tools on a daily basis. Adoption is particularly high among 15- to 34-year-olds: 91 percent use AI occasionally, and 44 percent use it daily. AI is no longer used solely for writing texts or translations. 57 percent use AI for research, and just under 40 percent for shopping advice. AI is also gaining importance for learning through tutorials. With a usage rate of 76 percent, private AI use among the population currently far exceeds its use in the workplace or in education (61 percent).

AI Is Becoming Part of Search

The traditional search engine remains the most widely used tool on the web: 98 percent of the internet-using population uses it at least occasionally, and more than two-thirds use it daily. At the same time, AI is rapidly gaining importance in search: 77 percent already use the AI mode in traditional search engines, and 57 percent conduct targeted searches via AI platforms. This means that AI is used more frequently within established search engines than through standalone AI services. AI platforms are already used more frequently for searches than YouTube (34 percent) or social media (28 percent). Men tend to rely on AI platforms more often, while women search slightly more frequently on social media.

ChatGPT is by far the most widely used AI platform in Switzerland: Two-thirds of the population (67 percent, or 4.3 million people) use the service at least occasionally, and 17 percent use it daily. No other platform has achieved comparable growth in reach since 2024. Gemini (32 percent) and Copilot (30 percent) follow far behind. Other offerings such as Meta AI (13 percent), Claude and Perplexity (10 percent each), and Mistral (3 percent) currently play a much smaller role.

Digital news reaches almost all of Switzerland

Digital news continues to have a wide reach: 93 percent of the population consumes news on media websites or apps, with more than half doing so daily. News offerings from private Swiss media outlets achieve the highest reach. At the same time, the willingness to pay for digital news offerings is declining across all demographic groups, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland, among men, and among younger people. Among 15- to 34-year-olds, social media is increasingly establishing itself as a news channel: 31 percent of this younger age group use it daily to get news on current events. For 13 percent, social networks are their sole news source; another 19 percent combine social media with traditional media outlets, while 24 percent get their news exclusively from traditional media. DOOH (Digital Out of Home) also plays a role in the dissemination of information: 70 percent pay attention to news about current events on screens in public spaces.

TV and video streaming complement traditional television

Television remains widely popular in Switzerland: 92 percent of the population watches TV at least occasionally, and 54 percent watches TV daily. At the same time, streaming has also become established: 47 percent of the population streams TV or video content daily. YouTube is by far the most widely used video platform, reaching 80 percent of the population, followed by Play SRF/RTS/RSI (or Play Suisse) at 59 percent and Netflix at 54 percent. Amazon Prime Video has seen the strongest growth over the past three years, with its reach increasing from 11 percent to 16 percent. Among other Swiss video services, blue+ (Super Max/Binge/Sport) reaches 15 percent of the population, Zattoo 12 percent, Joyn 9 percent, OnePlus 6 percent, and YalloTV 4 percent.

More than half of the population (56 percent) went to the movies in the past six months. Movie-going is highest among 15- to 34-year-olds: 63 percent went to the movies at least once during this period. Over a three-year period, movie-going has remained stable overall.

Daily Audio Reach Remains Steady—Streaming Gains Ground, Radio Declines

Audio remains an integral part of everyday media consumption: Across all audio platforms, 80 percent of the population is reached daily. However, usage continues to shift from radio to streaming. Daily radio consumption has declined from 52 percent to 45 percent since 2024. At the same time, audio streaming continues to gain importance: 60 percent of the population listens to music or radio daily via streaming services or radio websites. Spotify is the leading streaming provider; just under one-third of Spotify users listen to the ad-supported free version. Podcasts are used at least occasionally by 65 percent of the population and are listened to frequently, particularly by middle-aged people and in German-speaking Switzerland. However, with 11 percent daily usage, they lag significantly behind radio and streaming.

Gaming Is Becoming Mainstream—Growth Is Particularly Strong Among Older Demographics

Gaming continues to gain prominence in Switzerland: 60 percent of the population plays digital games at least occasionally. This growth is particularly evident in German-speaking Switzerland, among men, and among people aged 55 and older. Daily usage is also on the rise: the trend is particularly noticeable among older women—one in three women between the ages of 55 and 75 now plays digital games every day. Forty-four percent of the population plays on a smartphone, and 28 percent plays on a game console at least occasionally.

The smartphone remains the central digital device in everyday life: 96 percent of the population uses it at least occasionally. Smartwatches, in particular, have gained ground over the past three years, with usage rising from 27 percent to 32 percent, as have headphones and headsets (from 74 percent to 77 percent). AI glasses (also known as smart glasses), on the other hand, remain a niche phenomenon: only 2 percent of the population uses such devices, such as the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer. The greatest openness to them is seen among 20- to 24-year-olds.

Instagram Remains at the Top of Social Media Platforms

Two-thirds of the population uses social media daily. While usage is significantly lower in German-speaking Switzerland and among people aged 55 and older, social networks are an integral part of everyday life for younger demographics. Social media is primarily used for entertainment, but more than half of the population also uses it as a news source. 44 percent use social media for e-learning. Social commerce—that is, making direct purchases via social media—remains relatively uncommon, with a usage rate of 18 percent.

Instagram maintains its top position as the most widely used social media platform: 45 percent of the population uses Instagram daily, ahead of Facebook (26 percent), Snapchat (16 percent), and TikTok (14 percent). X (formerly Twitter) has seen a significant decline in reach: Usage has dropped from 17 percent to 10 percent since 2024. Among 15- to 34-year-olds, Instagram is clearly in the lead with 72 percent daily usage, ahead of Snapchat (44 percent) and TikTok (31 percent).

More than a third shop at Temu, Shein, or AliExpress

Online shopping is firmly established and is increasingly taking place on mobile devices: 66 percent shop via smartphone, and 64 percent via PC or laptop. The 30- to 49-year-old age group is particularly active. Online stores are the first port of call for product information: 91 percent check there at least occasionally. When it comes to shopping advice, AI platforms (39 percent) are already on par with YouTube (40 percent) and ahead of social media (36 percent). As direct shopping channels, however, AI platforms (6 percent) and YouTube (2 percent) have so far been used only rarely. The prevalence of Chinese shopping platforms is striking: 36 percent of the population already shops on Temu, Shein, or AliExpress. Usage is particularly high in Ticino (48 percent) and French-speaking Switzerland (43 percent).

About the IGEM-Digimonitor 2026 Study

Since 2014, the IGEM Digimonitor has conducted an annual survey on the use of electronic media and devices in Switzerland. Starting in 2024, the data will be representative of the Swiss population aged 15 to 75 who use the internet (6.4 million people). The online survey took place from March to April 2026. Intervista surveyed 1,957 people on behalf of IGEM and WEMF, including 1,002 in German-speaking Switzerland, 747 in French-speaking Switzerland, and 208 in Italian-speaking Switzerland. The confidence interval is a maximum of +/- 2.2 percentage points. The results are available free of charge to IGEM members. Non-members can purchase the study for CHF 5,000.

For more information on the study, visit www.igem.ch.