Swiss population is the ‘most  satisfied’ in Europe

In European comparison, life satisfaction in Switzerland is the highest of all  countries.

This is what emerges from a study published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Tuesday.

Also, “the overall standard of living remained high in European comparison.”

However, not all is rosy in Switzerland.

The FSO also found that one in 10 people had difficulty making ends meet and 4.9 percent of the population had to forego essential goods and services  for financial reasons.

Fewer Swiss believe neutrality will protect them from global conflicts

As the sovereigntist organisation Pro Schweiz is set to launch a national vote aimed at better anchoring Swiss neutrality in the country’s constitution, a new study shows that commitment to this policy has waned, even if slightly. 

Carried out by the Center for Security Studies of the ETH Zurich, the study found that neutrality is no longer a sacrosanct principle in Switzerland.

While the vast majority of respondents (91 percent) still support this longstanding policy, it is 6 percent less than before the war in Ukraine.

Some 49 percent  think that armed neutrality can keep Switzerland safe (3 percent less than previously ), and 51 percent (versus 57 percent before the war) believe it can be maintained in the  event of a military conflict. 

40 percent of naturalised Zurich residents come from one country

In 2023, a total of 2,950 people in Zurich obtained Swiss citizenship; 40 percent of them came from Germany, according to new statistics released by the city.

This is in line with national data showing that most foreigners naturalised in Switzerland are Germans.

Next in terms of numbers (in Zurich) are Italians, followed by people from France and Spain.

More announcements on public transport will be made in English

Switzerland is a multilingual country, but what if you find yourself  on public transport and don’t understand German, French or Italian?

That’s why some tram and bus operators want to make their announcements in English as well.

One of the pioneers of this movement is the PostBus.

“Since tourist traffic is very important, we would like to be able to provide more and more information in English in the future,” according to spokesperson Katharina Merkle.
 
READ ALSO: Where in Switzerland is English most widely used? 

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