Pandemic weighs on optimism and financial confidence

Old woman looking across a lake — Women are less likely than men to believe that their pension will allow them to lead a self-determined life in old age Keystone / Christof Schuerpf

The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the mood of people in Switzerland: only 30% are still unconditionally optimistic about the future, a third less than last year, according to a survey by insurer Swiss Life.

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The proportion of people who often feel stressed and under pressure has more than doubled from 12% to 30%, Swiss Life said in a statementExternal link on Thursday.

When it comes to the relaxation of Covid measures and their effects, the picture is mixed. In their private life, 70% of people feel self-determined now that many leisure activities and holidays abroad are possible again. This is an increase of eight percentage points on last year.

On the other hand, only 43% of working people still feel self-determined in their work (down four percentage points). One reason for this is the expectations that arose during the pandemic. “Some people want to go back to work but can’t (yet); others want a good mix of working from home and in the office, or even to work entirely from home,” Swiss Life wrote.

In general, 63% of people believe they can lead a self-determined life.

More worries about pensions

The survey also found that people in Switzerland are not only generally less optimistic, but more people are also worried about money.

While last year 61% of those surveyed still saw their financial situation as positive at retirement, this year the figure is only 47%. Women are significantly more likely to worry about not having enough money in retirement.

Swiss Life launched the so-called Self-Determination Barometer in 2019. For the current survey, around 1,000 people in Switzerland were questioned online between June 28 and July 8.