At the dawn of the new year, the traditional Comparis survey on the finances of the Swiss reveals a population that has never been so pessimistic for six years. More than one person in four expects their situation to deteriorate.
Rising health insurance premiums and high energy prices are the main reasons given by the 27.5% of Swiss people who expect to live financially worse next year than this year. This share is up sharply, compared to 16% in 2021, 17.6% in 2020 or even 13% in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, the lower the income, the higher the proportion of pessimistic Swiss. Thus, 41.8% of respondents whose gross household income is less than 4000 francs per month expect worse. Between 4000 and 8000 francs, this rate drops to 28.1% and, beyond 8000, it is only 21%, indicated the Comparis institute in a press release on Tuesday.
Suppressed cravings
As a result, the majority of respondents (44.7%) say they have to give up on certain desires. Next, at 23% in equal numbers, are those who feel they have to tighten their belts and those who say they can buy almost anything they want.
They are less than 5% to define themselves at the extremes, namely that they cannot make ends meet or that they can buy everything they want, without exception. But among those on low wages, 49% say they have to count every franc.
Health premiums
For more than three quarters of respondents, the sharp rise in health insurance premiums is the main reason for their pessimistic financial outlook. They were twice as numerous in this case last year.
Even survey participants who are not pessimistic are feeling the rising prices, Comparis points out. Thus, 71.2% of those questioned indicate that they feel inflation strongly or very strongly in their budget. The most clearly noticed price increase, according to an equal share of 71.2%, concerns energy prices for heating.
The representative survey was carried out among 1,047 people from all regions of Switzerland during the month of December.