Surveys and studies

Each year, the Sanitas health insurance foundation commissions the “Data society and solidarity” survey to investigate the lives and behaviour of people living in Switzerland in connection with digitalisation.

For the 2022 survey, 2,450 people answered the Sotomo research institute’s online questionnaire in January of this year. Targeted respondent selection and weighting ensure a representative sample that is close to the composition of the Swiss population aged 18 and over.

“People in Switzerland are taking a more sober view of the opportunities and risks of digitalisation”

The positive assessment that digital transformation is primarily about progress and new opportunities has dipped slightly in 2022. There is growing conviction that digitalisation is dividing society into winners and losers. Some 70% of respondents believe that digitalisation will lead to greater inequality in economic life, and that the winning and losing sides will drift further apart.Eine gewisse Ermüdung zeigt sich auch im alltäglichen Umgang mit digitalen Möglichkeiten: Weniger Befragte als mitten in der Pandemie geben an, regelmässig soziale Medien, Streaming-Dienste oder Videokonferenzen zu nutzen. Auch Smartwatches und Smarthome-Technologien stagnieren auf tiefem Stand.

A certain fatigue is also evident in the everyday use of digital products and services, with fewer respondents than in the midst of the pandemic saying they regularly use social media, streaming services or video conferencing. Smartwatches and smarthome technologies are also stagnating at a low level.

However, the population is becoming more confident from year to year that jobs will not be lost entirely as a result of digitalisation. Hardly anyone assumes any more that computers or robots will completely take over their jobs in the next ten years.

No digital fatigue is shown in these areas: More and more people – twice as many as in 2019 – are actively recording their health data. And trust in payment apps, which gained a foothold due to the pandemic, and in digital signatures is growing.

“Solidarity is important – as a basic principle”

Solidarity of the healthy with the sick has been brought to the fore by the pandemic: With 70% approval, it is considered the most important principle of solidarity, followed by solidarity of the rich with the poor or young with the old. It is interesting to note that solidarity of the old with the young has become much more important – especially from the perspective of the older generation. A kind of “thank you” at the end of the pandemic, in which young people gave up a lot, especially for old people?

Solidarity with people showing a lack of solidarity: For a majority of respondents, knowingly pursuing an unhealthy lifestyle and therefore risking high health costs for the general population shows a lack of solidarity. However, three-quarters are still in favour of these people receiving expensive medical treatment, with the costs being borne by all insureds.

Our understanding of “solidarity” is also changing: More people understand it to mean taking care of oneself and not being a burden on others, with a focus on individual responsibility. The COVID vaccine issue is likely to have contributed to this increase: “Taking care of yourself” in this context can be read either as a call to vaccinate or as a vote for the freedom not to vaccinate. 

However, solidarity is not unconditional, especially when it comes to personal benefit or potential claims. For example, four out of ten people think that those who share their health data should have preferential access to new treatments. People who believe they lead a particularly healthy lifestyle are strongly in favour of behaviour-based health insurance premiums. And a majority of respondents who have been vaccinated against COVID believe that anyone who has chosen not to be vaccinated should not be treated in intensive care if there is a shortage of beds.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic upped the focus on social solidarity, this belief seems to be on shaky ground once personal gain is involved.

“Sharing health data? Trust is the magic word”

Attitudes are not only becoming more positive towards health tracking, but also with regard to sharing recorded data. For this, trust in data privacy and data security is crucial.

Today, almost nine out of ten people can imagine sharing their digitally recorded health data with their family doctor. The most important reason for this is the early detection of health problems. For the first time, more than half of respondents also said that they would also donate their health data to medical research.

In addition to personal gain, the respondents also see positive aspects for society: Comprehensive recording of health data, such as blood pressure or oxygen levels, should help provide better medical care. Tracking activity data, such as the number of steps taken or kilometres cycled, on the other hand, is expected to lead to lower healthcare costs overall.

Two-thirds of survey participants would be happy to use a digital health portal where all health-related data could be viewed (self-measured and collected by professionals, as well as medical documents). And 4 out of 5 people want to be able to decide for themselves with whom they share this data. So they would be willing and have the confidence to manage their own health data.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has given digitalisation an even greater boost. Many people were initially unused to digital services such as video telephony and online shopping when social distancing measures were introduced, but they quickly became part of everyday life. The survey highlights how digitalisation is affecting the population during the pandemic. One surprising result is that the perceived digital pressure to perform has reduced.

In general, digitalisation has fewer negative connotations than it did a few years ago. After around a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has only been a slight increase in the continued high use of digital channels and services. Only use of video telephony has doubled, and older people are catching up to the younger generation when it comes to using streaming services such as Netflix.

A year ago, young people in particular felt under much greater pressure to perform and were more stressed as a result of the digital transformation, but partial lockdown has seen an unexpected turn-around, with respondents in January 2021 reporting far less subjective pressure to perform at work, in the health sector, in relation to social media such as Instagram and Facebook, and even in the area of sport. The challenges posed by digital tools seem to have eased considerably with people working from home and limited social contacts. Or perhaps they are just put into perspective by the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic. It remains to be seen how the population will use these experiences in a positive way when things get back to normal after the pandemic.

About the study: From 8 to 18 January 2021, 2,344 people took part in an online survey organised by the sotomo research institute. Targeted respondent selection and weighting ensure a representative sample that is close to the composition of the Swiss population aged 18 and over.

Selected results

Corona crisis eases digital pressure to perform: This development is particularly pronounced in the working world, with only 18% reporting increased pressure due to the digital transformation compared to 45% in the previous year. Activity in social networks has slowed, with corona forcing people to stay at home and take things easier in the social marketplace. As there is less fear of missing out (FOMO), people tend to make less use of social media channels (80% compared to 92% at the start of 2020) and feel under less pressure to perform. In the same way, the use of social media among young adults in particular is significantly lower.

Fig. 25: Perceived pressure to perform by measuring performance and life data – by age

“Digitally tracking performance and life data leads to more opportunities for comparison. Are there areas where you feel additional pressure to perform because of this?”

Trust is the basis for sharing health data: At 62% and 44% respectively, personal benefits and benefits for people in general are key factors in whether people are willing to share health data. However, trust in the data recipient is valued most highly by participants, coming in at 70%.

Fig. 33: Factors for sharing health data

“Which factors determine whether you will share your health data with a person/organisation?”

Life tracking changes behaviour: Some 41% of respondents actively measure the number of steps they do each day, and almost half believe that this has changed their behaviour. This means that a whopping 20% of the Swiss population believe that they walk more frequently and/or longer than before due to counting their steps. And roughly one in two people report that tracking their sporting performance digitally has changed their habits.

Fig. 23: How regular tracking of different activities affects behaviour

“Which ones have led to you changing your behaviour in the long term?”

Covid tracing and online registration – population is ambivalent: Respondents are more wary of data misuse when entering data in online forms, e.g. when visiting a restaurant than when using the Swiss Covid tracing app. Nevertheless, online registrations are used more often than the Covid app. People to the right of the political spectrum and those with a lower level of education are particularly critical of contract tracing with the Covid app, which primarily serves the general population. This goes to show once again that people are more willing to share their data when they benefit personally, e.g. to gain entry to a restaurant or attend an event, despite any data protection concerns they may have.

One particularly surprising result was the fact that a very high number of respondents – 45% – agreed that, in the event of a pandemic in the future, we should follow the example of countries such as South Korea or Taiwan, where data protection was minimised in favour of temporary mobility surveillance via mobile phone data in order to successfully prevent the spread of the virus. This opinion was largely the same across the political spectrum, but older people were more in favour of it than younger people.

To sum up: in the event of a new pandemic, around half of the population would be in favour of temporarily restricting data protection in return for greater freedoms in everyday life.

Fig . 28: Consent to monitoring of mobile phone data to contain a pandemic

“Countries like South Korea and Taiwan reduced data protection during the coronavirus pandemic and monitored mobile phone data to contain the spread of the virus early on. If there is another pandemic, should Switzerland implement a similar programme to monitor mobile phone data temporarily for the duration of the pandemic?”

Solidarity in healthcare of the future: With regard to preventive care, half of respondents believe that an unhealthy lifestyle leading to high health costs later in life at the cost of the general population shows a lack of solidarity. Two-thirds of people on the right of the political spectrum share this opinion. At the same time, 42% don’t believe that an unhealthy lifestyle shows a lack of solidarity, even if the person concerned is aware that they have an increased predisposition to a particular disease.

Fig. 49: Agreement with the statement: Unhealthy behaviour shows a lack of solidarity – by political affiliation

“During an examination, someone finds out that they have an increased predisposition to cardiovascular disease. This person continues to eat unhealthily and doesn’t get enough exercise. Does this person show a lack of solidarity because they’re risking high health costs for the general public?”

With regard to the possibility of personalised healthcare in the future, 80% of respondents believe that even expensive special therapies for cancer should be paid for under basic insurance if there is a good chance of successful treatment. This is the case even though this could lead to higher health insurance premiums. In other words, survey participants expressed their support for solidarity-based financing of the achievements of personalised medicine.

There was greater diversity with regard to the question of whether “new and more expensive personalised treatments” should be covered under basic insurance – even if this leads to a rise in premiums for everyone. Almost a third answered “Yes, definitely”. However, two-thirds of participants wanted certain conditions to be met first, For example, that the treatment would significantly improve the patient’s quality of life.

Survey participants were also asked to weigh up the cost/benefit ratio in relation to the financing options.

The respondents’ answers show that, if the development of personalised health continues, greater political involvement will be required to redefine the framework of the healthcare system.

Fig. 46: Paying for expensive personalised medicines under basic insurance: essential conditions

“In the future, new personalised treatments will be possible, but they can be very expensive. Should these treatments be paid for under basic health insurance even though this increases premiums for everyone?”

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The digital society is all about surfing, googling, logging in and leaving data traces. And the corona pandemic is rapidly pushing digitalisation into new areas of our life. What did people see as the opportunities and threats of the data society before the coronavirus hit? How do they feel about the growing measurement and tracking of our lives? And how does this impact social solidarity?

The results of the 2020 “Data society and solidarity” survey show that people are ambivalent. They make good use of digital services, but worry about their data being passed on. They value social solidarity, but are increasingly calling for insurance premiums to be linked to people’s behaviour.

From 9 to 16 January 2020, 2,297 people completed an online survey about their behaviour and attitudes in relation to solidarity in the context of digitalisation. Targeted respondent selection and weighting ensure a result that is representative of the Swiss population aged 18 and over. The survey was conducted on our behalf by sotomo research centre, Zurich.

Summary of selected findings

• People are losing their fear of digitalisation: Today, 44% of respondents see digital transformation as a source of progress. They associate it with positive features such as efficiency, additional opportunities and being informed. Connected with this are self-empowerment and self-improvement.
  
• Digital channels are being used more: Compared with the previous year, the number of people who regularly use streaming services (51%), cloud data storage (53%) and social media (67%) has risen. This also applies if the population is split by age, for example for social media: 18-35 age group (92%), 36-55 (64%), >55 (43%).
  

• Young people are more anxious and uncertain: Of the 18 to 35-year-olds surveyed, 38% say the way digital transformation is developing is making them anxious and unsure. The figure for over-65s is only 28%. Added to this, older people in particular are taking an increasingly positive view of digitalisation. Younger people who still have their lives and careers ahead of them seem more challenged.
  
• Pervasive digital technologies increasing pressure to perform: 44% of employed people feel under pressure at work, which is around the same as in 2019. But the perceived pressure for people to perform in terms of their health has increased sharply, from 25% to 32%.
  

• Life tracking increasingly widespread: Data on personal activities and health are being recorded more and more. Because of step counting, more than 20% of people, especially women, go more frequently or greater distances on foot. And 58% of 15 to 35-year-old women already record their cycle digitally. The number of people recording their heart rate has almost doubled since last year to 19%.
  
• Scepticism about sharing health data: Of those surveyed, 84% would share data they have gathered on their own health with their family doctor, but significantly fewer would share with specialists (64%), medical researchers (47%) or an insurer/health insurer (15%).
  
• Impact of digitalisation on solidarity: The ambivalence shown towards solidarity in terms of health and health insurance is surprising. Solidarity of healthy people towards sick people is considered important. In fact, solidarity has even gained in importance (from 56% to 63%) since 2019. At the same time, however, the 2020 survey for the first time shows the majority (51%) to be in favour of lower health insurance premiums for people who keep fit and eat healthily. This is an increase of around one-fifth in just two years that could give grounds for concern about the present principle of solidarity.
  
• Politicians losing touch with grass roots: As a special topic, the current survey compares the attitudes of the public to those of the candidates standing for election to the Swiss National Council in 2019. In general, the politicians (92%) see the effects of digitalisation as more positive than the general public (70%). Two-thirds of the public, but only one-third of politicians, believe that digitalisation is leading to greater inequality in employment. Are politicians losing touch with grass roots opinion?
  

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The second representative online survey, which focuses on solidarity in a digital world, took place in February 2019. How is the Swiss population engaging with the growing trend towards digital tracking? Which form of solidarity do people value? And how have the use and attitudes towards digital services changed since 2018?

Key findings:

• Generally speaking, the population places greatest value on the solidarity of the rich with the poor, young with the elderly, the healthy with the sick and even the elderly with young people.
  
• In 2019, however, half of those surveyed were already in favour of premium discounts for people who keep fit and eat well.
  
• Among people who judge their lifestyle to be healthier than others of the same age, acceptance was even higher, with almost two-thirds (63%) in favour of behaviour-dependent premium discounts. This is putting pressure on the value of solidarity.
  

• In using the digital products and services on offer, we are contributing to a higher level of transparency, while at the same time we are worried about social solidarity and the increasingly performance-oriented society.
  
• Overall, people are a little less sceptical about digital change.
  
• Perceived winners of digitalisation include those who are young, flexible, educated and performance-oriented. However, digital change is promoting a performance-oriented society and generating additional stress – particularly among young people.
  
• Digital life tracking is leading to less personal responsibility, with the rise of the digital nanny.
  
• The use of digital services is at a similarly high level to the previous year. Trust in data collectors has risen again slightly. Data collection seems to be accepted if cheap or free digital services are offered in return.
  

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The first survey trained the spotlight primarily on life tracking with smartphones, the willingness to share data, thoughts on data tracking and data privacy, and people’s expectations of what it will be like to live in a society in a digital future.

The Swiss actively record their digital life and behaviour data. However, while many people are happy to use digital technology in their private life, their view of a society that is increasingly being shaped by digital tracking is less positive.

Key conclusions:

• Life tracking is widespread in Switzerland.
  
• People weigh the opportunities against potential risks: worries about privacy tend to take a backseat in everyday life.
  
• People are sceptical about data collection by third parties, particularly with regard to business, employment and even criminal activity.
  
• Reservations about a digitalised society: Building qualities such as solidarity and individual responsibility is a challenge.
  
• Questions are raised about digital responsibility.
  

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