The escapists

The fun-oriented non-conformists reject the conventions of meritocracy and plan their lives for the short term, always in search of strong experiences and the next kick.bourgeois values and conventions are rejected in the target group of escapists. Escapists have no interest in conforming to the performance ideals of the middle class. Instead, they seek intense emotional experiences, including extreme borderline experiences. Bourgeois society is perceived as stuffy; people want to distance themselves from it, break away and live as freely and unbound as possible. Nevertheless, there is also a kind of "underdog" consciousness, which can also manifest itself in resentment towards other social groups and foreigners. Life planning is not an issue for escapists. There is no need for long-term security, nor are people prepared to commit themselves to a career in order to secure their material circumstances. Money management tends to be uncontrolled, people live spontaneously and even consumer goals are formulated in advance on a short-term basis. Leisure time is spent playing video games, going to discos or doing sports.
The escapists include around 670000 people or eleven percent of Switzerland's customer potential*; a small focus can be seen in French-speaking Switzerland. The average age is under 40 and the proportion of men is 60 percent. Many escapists still live at home, 29% are pupils or students. Intermediate educational qualifications dominate, and they often do not yet have their own income. This milieu includes many blue and white-collar workers, but also an above-average number of unemployed people.