Social media use declines for the first time in Switzerland

Publicom has been measuring the brand images of Swiss media brands every year since 2013. With over 4,800 interviews and 170 integrated media brands, mediaBrands is the largest study in Switzerland on the qualitative perception of media brands. In addition to individual brand profiles, it also depicts general trends. Following a steady increase in social media use in recent years, this year has seen a decline for the first time. 55% of the Swiss population still use social media - four percent less than a year ago. This means that social media lost more users than print media, which only lost one percent of its reach and (including digital use) reaches 94% of the Swiss population aged between 15 and 79.

However, social media are not only complaining about a loss of reach, but also have to cope with a loss of image. The various scandals (data misuse, fake news, etc.) have obviously left their mark. The brand images of Facebook and Twitter in particular have been badly tarnished. Both have lost a lot of sympathy and trust. Facebook has the lowest credibility score of all the brands surveyed. Regional, subscription-based daily newspapers and publicly financed radio and television stations continue to enjoy a high level of credibility among the Swiss population. Overall, the credibility of the media in Switzerland remains high. However, the French-speaking and Ticino populations trust their media slightly less than the German-speaking Swiss.

Domestic media brands usually rated better

The Swiss rate (regional) Swiss media brands better than the international media in terms of most journalistic and functional aspects. Only in terms of entertainment value does a US internet giant, the Google subsidiary YouTube, come out on top. Especially in German- and French-speaking Switzerland, people are more entertained by YouTube videos than by any other media brand.

With the mediaBrands study, Publicom determines the brand performance of media brands among the Swiss population every year. The 2018 survey was conducted in April and May and is based on a representative sample of 4,828 people aged 15-79. The statistical margin of error is +/- 1.4 percent.