Digitization in Switzerland: Great readiness - little movement

The study "Switzerland's Digital DNA" was conducted for the sixth time, jointly by the international strategy consultancy Oliver Wyman and digitalswitzerland. It is published as part of the Swiss Digitaltage and shows the state of digitization in Switzerland. The online survey was conducted in July 2022. More than 1,600 people from German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland were surveyed for the study. A representative survey group was selected in terms of sociodemographic criteria.

Digitization in Switzerland is received differently

According to the study, 75 percent of the population currently see the Internet and technology as an opportunity for Switzerland - a stable figure compared with the previous year. The proportion of people who do not feel personally able to keep up with progress remains equally stable: at 22 percent, they account for more than one-fifth of respondents. Respondents see the greatest need to catch up in terms of digital skills in the further development of technological skills such as programming (44 percent) and the use of new technologies such as smartphones or VR glasses (18 percent). This view is shared by respondents across almost all age groups. Only the group of over 70s is different - 36 percent of respondents think they have no need to catch up in terms of digital fitness.

However, the perceived digital fitness varies greatly depending on the industry: While 15 percent of bankers rate themselves as not capable in this respect, 29 percent in healthcare and social services believe that their skills are not sufficient. The most self-critical assessment of their lack of digital skills is made by professionals in wholesale and retail (30 percent) and those in the hotel and catering industry (36 percent).

Differentiated view of opportunities and risks

"The Swiss view technology upheavals with detached optimism," Oliver Wyman partner Nordal Cavadini comments on the findings. "But quantum leaps have hardly been seen in this attitude so far." For example, according to the survey, only 29 percent feel comfortable trusting big tech companies with their personal data. Online retailers (36) also compare poorly in terms of trust. By contrast, there is widespread agreement when it comes to the use of data by hospitals, doctors and health insurance companies - 68 percent of respondents trust these service providers. It may come as a surprise that banks (64) and universities (61) are even more trusted when it comes to data sharing than the government and public offices (53).

Along with the willingness to disclose data, there is an increasing awareness of cyber risks. 74 percent of all respondents believe that the Internet and technologies will lead to an increase in cybercrime. There is general concern about cybersecurity. 30 percent of respondents said they have already been the victim of a cybercrime or corresponding attack. "Even though the fear of such attacks is constantly high, the willingness to share one's own data with third parties and to use services is growing," says Nordal Cavadini. What could be considered a paradox, the Oliver Wyman partner interprets pragmatically: the perceived benefit outweighs the perceived risk.

"The willingness to engage in lifelong learning is a constant in Swiss society," says Diana Engetschwiler, Deputy Managing Director digitalswitzerland. According to the survey, 75 percent of the population believes that the Internet and technology facilitate this lifelong learning - an approval rating that has remained at the same high level for years. "In Swiss education, however, digitization still lags behind in international comparison. Yet the continuous integration of digital learning content into education and training is crucial for the competitiveness of our future workforce. digitalswitzerland is committed to this, for example, as part of the Swiss Digitaltage with our 'NextGen Future Skills Labs' format, which brings children closer to digitization topics in an accessible and entertaining way," Engetschwiler continues. The fact that digitization will not be a foregone conclusion is also suggested by the attitude of 27 percent of all respondents who believe that their working lives will become more complicated as a result.

Banking offers convince users

This sentiment is also expressed in figures when asked about the specific use of and satisfaction with digital services. Digital financial services are way out in front: 93 percent of the population use them, and 90 percent of users say they are satisfied with them. Online stores receive a similarly positive response: 90 percent use them, 87 percent of whom are satisfied with the offerings. "Services that are used frequently also score higher in users' favor," says Diana Engetschwiler of digitalswitzerland. "You can see a habituation effect with highly frequented services on the one hand, but also a high degree of customer centricity on the other." So it may come as no surprise that telemedicine still has some catching up to do in this area: only 45 percent said they had already used telemedicine. Of these, 54 percent reported a positive user experience. The urban-rural usage comparison reveals other noteworthy points, for example in connection with digital mobility offerings (e-scooters, bikes) or e-food (online food ordering). The unevenly strong use of these offerings is probably also due to the different degree of coverage of these offerings in urban and rural areas.

Sources and further information:  oliverwyman.ch; www.digitaltage.swiss