As in previous years, Credit Suisse commissioned the research institute gfs.bern in 2020 to conduct a survey to determine the issues that worry Swiss citizens the most and to find out what they consider to be the key features of Swiss identity. Respondents were asked to list their top five concerns and, with 51 percent of respondents naming the coronavirus pandemic, this new issue ranks first among people's worries. AHV/retirement provision (37 percent) came second, followed by (youth) unemployment (31 percent) – a concern that is likely related to worries about the ramifications of the pandemic.
For the past two years, environmental issues and climate change have been among the top five concerns in Switzerland, and in the year of the coronavirus pandemic they still rank fourth (29 percent), as they did last year. Next, in fifth place, is the topic of foreigners and immigration (28 percent, -2 pp). When asked which problem needs to be addressed most urgently, respondents again mention the pandemic and its effects most often (18 percent), followed by environmental protection/climate change (12 percent, unchanged from last year).