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New figures from the BFS show the financial situation in Switzerland. A different picture emerges than the “Family Barometer” recently painted.
The money barely lasts until the end of the month. In such a situation, a parking fine, an unexpected medical bill or car repair can leave a hole in your household budget. In Switzerland, 9.9 percent of the population stated in 2022 that they had (great) difficulty making ends meet. This emerges from new figures from the Federal Statistical Office (BFS) on the economic and social situation in Switzerland.
Foreigners, the unemployed and single parents in particular face financial challenges. For couples with children, the figure is 9.9 percent, as for the population as a whole.
In comparison, the “Family Barometer” published around two weeks ago painted a different picture. Accordingly, for more than half of the families (52 percent) the income is barely or not at all sufficient. According to the organization Pro Familia and the pension insurer Pax, the families’ financial situation has worsened compared to the previous year.
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Depending on the study, a different picture of the financial situation in Switzerland emerges.
Keystone/GAETAN BALLY
Reasons for differences
How is it that the BFS figures and the family barometer give a different impression of the financial situation of families in Switzerland? Political scientist Michael Hermann looked at the various results. For him, both studies are serious, but have a different focus.
“The BFS statistics really focus on poverty, i.e. on people who don’t have enough money. “The family barometer focuses more on the normal, smaller financial worries of the middle class,” says Hermann. Another difference is the time of data collection.
Oliver Hümbelin, professor of social research at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, also looked into the two studies for SRF News. He says that they cannot be directly compared. “They have different goals and cover different time horizons.” In addition, the questions that were asked would differ.
Shifted perception
The BFS collected its figures in 2022. The family barometer survey, however, took place in November 2023. A lot has happened in between: the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine fueled inflation, and health insurance premiums and rents also rose. “Everything together has led to at least the subjective feeling that you can no longer afford everything,” says political scientist Hermann.
It is clear that a study also has a purpose, depending on the publisher. Pro Familia is committed to family issues. “With studies like this, organizations draw attention to their issues,” he notes. Proven statistical methods are used and the results are not in themselves politically influenced.
For social researcher Hümbelin, neither study is better than the other. “They pursue different goals. The family barometer offers an overview of the various topics that families are currently concerned with,” he says. If, on the other hand, you want to classify the families’ financial situation, Hümbelin recommends taking a look at the BFS figures.