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Young people today have less hope about the future than previous generations. This is proven by the latest generation barometer.
Climate activists protest with an inflatable balloon during their “Stand Up for Change” week of action on September 25 in Bern.
(sda) A third of the Swiss fear that society threatens to separate from young and old. This is demonstrated by the Generation 2020 Barometer, which the Generation House of Bern carried out in collaboration with the Sotomo research institute.
Even more than 3,285 respondents see the risk of Switzerland being separated into rich and poor (71 percent), left and right (57 percent), and city and country (49 percent).
According to the study, the majority of the Swiss population assumes that the corona pandemic will have more negative than positive effects on the intergenerational relationship. The youngest group of respondents – those aged 18 to 24 – were in no way particularly dissatisfied with their lives despite being particularly affected by the pandemic. Due to preventive measures against the coronavirus, 39 percent of people between 65 and 74 years old see themselves at a serious disadvantage.
Hope fades in young adults
At the same time, the representative study shows that today’s 65- to 74-year-old baby boomers are the last generation to rate their own quality of life as significantly better than that of their parents’ generation. This group showed the highest level of satisfaction with life. Only 6 percent of those surveyed believe future generations will be better off.
For example, 42 percent of 18-24 year olds said they lack hope and confidence in life. They weren’t particularly dissatisfied with their lives, but the general world situation clouded their confidence. Respondents also believed that younger people in particular will be affected by environmental and climate changes. Fifty-one percent of the youngest group also reported being disadvantaged because of their age.
Baby boomers see themselves as the most climate-friendly
Young adults, in particular, place great urgency on green behavior (68 percent). This proportion steadily decreases with age. Baby boomers see themselves as the most climate-friendly. However, this rather reflects the increased awareness of the problem among young Swiss people and does not necessarily reflect their lifestyle.
Contrast in forms of relationship
Two-thirds of the youngest respondents recognize non-monogamous forms of relationships as normal and accepted. For people ages 45 to 54, this was only 26 percent.
Men over 64 years of age view negatively the requirement that men and women be able to do their work and family work equally, without the majority rejecting it. Young women (68 percent) and men (50 percent) are more positive about this project.
Most do not want to lower the voting age
When it comes to the provision of old-age services, 55 percent of respondents see the younger generation as a disadvantage, 11 percent see the older generation as a disadvantage. To reform the old-age benefit, two-thirds agreed to introduce a lifetime working time.
When it comes to digitization, respondents see older people in particular at a disadvantage. In general, the very old are perceived as the most disadvantaged group. Lowering the voting age to 16 is in favor of only 28 percent of those surveyed.
For the Generation 2020 Barometer, Sotomo surveyed more than 3,000 people from German and French-speaking Switzerland in September 2020.
