Of all the worries that keep Swiss up at night, premiums for mandatory health insurance are the biggest culprit. The 2023 Swiss Worry Study by moneyland.ch shows that health insurance premiums are a major source of worry for 56 percent of the 1538 survey participants. The survey also reveals that residents of Switzerland are particularly worried about climate change, the environment, the conflict in Ukraine, and Russia.
Table 1: Switzerland’s biggest worries
| Topic |
Very worried or extremely worried |
| Health insurance premiums |
56% |
| Climate change |
54% |
| The state of the environment |
52% |
| Ukraine war / War with Russia |
51% |
| Russia |
51% |
| Old-age pensions in general |
49% |
| OASI |
48% |
| Inflation |
47% |
| Personal financial situation |
45% |
| Possible wars |
45% |
Last year, the biggest sources of worry for Swiss were the conflict in Ukraine and climate change. “But a year into the war in Ukraine, the conflict already no longer pulls on Swiss as much as it did last year,” observes moneyland.ch CEO Benjamin Manz. “Health insurance premiums are once again the primary source of worry, as was the case before the Ukraine war.”
According to Manz, this year’s notable health insurance premium hike is likely responsible for that. Last year, health insurance premiums were only raised slightly, which served to ease this worry somewhat.
Worry levels have gone up since last year
The levels of worry over certain topics have drastically increased since last year. While 34 percent of residents were worried or very worried about inflation a year ago, a much higher 47 percent worry about inflation in 2023. Other topics which experienced substantial increases are those of foreigners in Switzerland (from 26 percent one year ago to 37 percent this year), Swiss politics (from 26 percent to 36 percent), new immigration to Switzerland (30 percent to 39 percent), artificial intelligence (from 23 percent to 31 percent), and rents for homes (from 35 percent to 43 percent).
Corona and 5G are not major worries
What do Swiss hardly worry about? 57 percent of participants said that they do not worry or hardly worry about corona viruses or 5G. “Already last year, the pandemic no longer took precedence, and this year most Swiss no longer spend much thought on it,” says Manz.
Women are more likely to worry about money
Like past studies, the 2023 Swiss Worry Study reveals a stronger tendency towards worry in women, compared to men. The difference is particularly noticeable with regards to personal finances. While 51 percent of women worry about their personal financial situations, just 39 percent of men share this worry. Personal health and the environment are two other topics for which women show above-average worry levels.
Men, on the other hand, are more likely to worry about politics. For example, the current state of the European Union (EU) is a worry for 38 percent of Swiss men, while only 29 percent of Swiss women worry about the EU. Men are also notably more worried about China and global government debt than women are.
Table 2: Worries by gender
| Very worried or extremely worried |
Men |
Women |
| Health insurance premiums |
55% |
57% |
| Climate change |
49% |
58% |
| The state of the environment |
47% |
58% |
| Ukraine war / War with Russia |
51% |
50% |
| Russia |
52% |
50% |
| Old-age pensions in general |
43% |
54% |
| OASI |
44% |
52% |
| Inflation |
45% |
49% |
| Personal financial situation |
39% |
51% |
| Possible wars |
41% |
50% |
Young people worry less about politics
Residents between the ages of 18 and 25 years old are less worried about health insurance premiums than adults in other age groups. Only 35 percent of young adults are worried about insurance premiums. “That is likely because young people often do not pay their health insurance premiums themselves, and premiums for young adults are lower,” says Manz. Political topics like the Ukrainian conflict also feature lower on the worry list for young people. On the other hand, young adults are more likely to worry about artificial intelligence, personal salaries, and climate change than the average resident.
Older people between the ages of 50 and 74 have an above-average inclination towards worrying about many topics. A high 68 percent of residents in this age group say that they are worried or very worried about health insurance premiums. Adults above 50 years old are also more worried about international topics like China, Russia, and the Ukraine war than residents of other ages. On the other hand, older people hardly worry about personal relationships or mortgages.
French-speaking Swiss worry about health and money
A birds-eye view of worries in Switzerland shows that residents of French-speaking regions generally worry more than those of German-speaking areas. The difference is especially pronounced where worries about money are concerned. A high 60 percent of French-speaking Swiss worry about their personal financial situation, and 53 percent worry about their personal salaries. In German-speaking Switzerland, 39 percent of residents are worried about their personal financial situation, and around one-third are worried about their salaries.
In the Romandie, worries about personal health are practically as high as worries about health insurance premiums. Because premiums for mandatory health insurance are higher, on average, in French-speaking Switzerland, they not only top the worry list, but the portion of people who worry about them (63 percent) is higher than in German-speaking Switzerland (53 percent).
Table 3: Biggest worries by linguistic region
| Ranking |
German-speaking Switzerland |
French-speaking Switzerland |
| 1 |
Health insurance premiums |
Health insurance premiums |
| 2 |
Russia |
Personal health |
| 3 |
Climate change |
Personal financial situation |
| 4 |
The state of the environment |
Climate change |
| 5 |
Ukraine war / War with Russia |
Your children’s future |
| 6 |
Old-age pensions in general |
The state of the environment |
| 7 |
OASI |
OASI |
| 8 |
Possible wars |
Inflation |
| 9 |
Inflation |
Personal salary |
| 10 |
Global population growth |
Ukraine war / War with Russia |
More on this topic:
Download the detailed Swiss Worry Survey 2023 (German PDF)
