Tablet overtakes daily newspaper

Tablet surfing has caught up with the use of daily newspapers. Overall, 91% access the Internet with their mobile devices. 14- to 19-year-olds now use Snapchat and Instagram more than Facebook. The smartphone is used more as a messenger than as a phone. Among digital natives, streaming TV content has replaced traditional TV. 31% of those surveyed already find out important news first via push messages or social media. The smartphone is increasingly becoming a transaction medium. And 27% of digital immigrants would rather do without sex for a month than their smartphone. Welcome to the Media Use Index Study 2016 (MUI) by Y&R Group Switzerland.

Internet use via tablet catches up with daily newspapers

As the Media Use Index (MUI) of Y&R Group Switzerland shows, Internet use via tablet has caught up with the use of daily newspapers. Nevertheless, 42% of advertising money in Switzerland still flows into print media and only 11% into online channels (source: Media Focus). Internet usage via smartphone increased once again last year and, at 86%, is approaching Internet usage via computer (88%). Radio, free newspapers and daily newspapers are stagnating in terms of usage.

91% of Swiss Internet users also surf mobile

Internet use via mobile devices continues to grow. With a year-on-year increase of 6%, 91% of Internet users now also surf on mobile devices. To do this, 86% use their smartphone, while 50% surf on a tablet. If we look at the digital natives separately, a full 98% are online on their smartphone or tablet.

The smartphone beats them all

96% of digital natives use the Internet via their smartphone. With a further increase of 7% compared to the previous year, surfing on the move has become an integral part of everyday life for 14- to 29-year-olds. But digital immigrants are also continuing to catch up. The increase is 13%, with 88% now surfing on smartphones. The proportion of mobile silver surfers using smartphones is rising the most, at 23%. In this segment, 70% now use the Internet via smartphone.

In terms of tablet Internet usage, digital immigrants defended their top position from the previous year with an increase of 4% to 54%. However, digital natives (+11% to 44%) and silver surfers (+16% to 48%) are not far behind.

The smart "phone" has now become a smart "messenger

The most frequently used function on the smartphone is writing and reading messages. Among digital natives, making phone calls is no longer even in the top 5 weekly activities on the smartphone.

The smartphone generates sales

The smartphone is also being used more and more as a transaction medium across all generations. Thus, 66% state that they have already used the smartphone for online shopping. This is an increase of 12% compared with the previous year. Digital natives also lead the way in this category. 79% already store with their smartphone on a case-by-case basis, 53% even on a monthly basis. Mobile banking and mobile payment are also becoming increasingly popular across all generations. Meanwhile, 53% (+ 12%) have already conducted banking transactions via their smartphone and 38% (+16%) have already used their mobile to pay at the checkout or transfer money (P2P). On a monthly basis, in turn, a remarkable 38% already use mobile banking and 29% mobile payment.

Not without my smartphone

The smartphone is an indispensable companion. 54% of the digital natives would, for example, rather do without alcohol on the way out than without their smartphone. 27% of digital immigrants, on the other hand, would rather go without sex for a month than without their mobile device. And who needs a car if you have to give up your smartphone for it, think 19% of the silver surfers. What is striking, however, is that in all areas - alcohol, cars and sex - it is the digital natives who can least imagine having to do without their smartphone.

Digital natives can no longer do without social network platforms

Social networks were literally born into the digital natives' cradle. Accordingly, they consider the various social media platforms to be important, and they are becoming even more relevant than in 2015. WhatsApp once again takes the top position this year; 84% rate WhatsApp as important or very important. Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are growing significantly more dynamically than last year. Twitter, on the other hand, cannot keep up and is stagnating at just 16%.

Snapchat and Instagram overtake Facebook

The growth of Snapchat in Switzerland continues impressively this year. Sharing and consuming snapshots is now part of the everyday life of digital natives. Among 14- to 19-year-olds, Snapchat usage is on a par with Instagram at 74% (+27%), even surpassing Facebook (67%) for the first time. However, the remaining digital natives are also increasingly using Snapchat at least from time to time. On average, 46% of digital natives use Snapchat, which corresponds to an increase of 48% compared to the previous year.

News media lose their front page

Üacross all generations, already 31% reach important news and related articles directly via social media or push notifications. This means that the most-viewed page of any online news medium - the website - is losing relevance. This development is most advanced among digital natives. As many as 46% say they are more likely to learn of important news via social media or push notifications, rather than the actual news portal. In the battle for readers' attention, two new battlegrounds are opening up for the news media.

The most important digital and media brands in 2016

For the first time, only digital brands can be found in the top 5 among digital immigrants. YouTube pushes SRF 1 out of the top 5 this year. For silver surfers, the top 3 are now also reserved for digital brands. SRF 1 (66%) and ZDF (63%) still make it to 4th and 5th place among the oldest generation. Among digital natives, the most important media brands remain the same as last year. Compared to the previous year, all brands have gained further relevance.

Streaming overtakes classic television

Bad news for traditional TV advertising: Among digital natives, streaming has clearly displaced traditional live TV consumption (47%) with 63%. At the same time, however, time-shifted TV viewing is gaining popularity in this age group. The consumption behavior of digital immigrants remained constant in almost all areas compared to last year. Only the need to download TV content is declining, as is also the case with silver surfers. This can presumably be attributed to the improved streaming options.

Information on the "Media Use Index" study

The study Media Use Index examines the media usage and information behavior of the Swiss population. For cross-comparison purposes, the study divides the online population into three generations: "digital natives" (14-29 years), "digital immigrants" (30-54 years) and "silver surfers" (55-69 years). The study was first conducted by Y&R Group Switzerland in 2009. The eighth edition of the study is now being published in 2016. For this, 2,000 people between the ages of 14 and 69 from German- and French-speaking Switzerland were surveyed online about their media usage behavior. The sample is representative according to the official structural data of Switzerland. Y&R Group Switzerland is the leading communications agency in Switzerland, based in Zurich. It brings together under joint management the specialists from Advico Y&R (advertising), Allaccess (promotion), Futurecom (digital), Wunderman (dialog) and Y&R Consulting (strategic marketing consulting).

Responsible for Y&R Group SwitzerlandUrs Krucker (Head of Strategy).