Worry barometer Health issues are a major concern for the Swiss

The fear of financial insecurity and increased living costs has manifested itself in this year's UBS Worry Barometer. According to UBS, Swiss voters were most concerned about health issues.

48 percent of people who took part in the representative survey published on Thursday were most concerned about health issues this year - in particular health insurance and premiums. The last time health issues reached such high levels was in the mid-2000s.

UBS cited the media presence of health issues in referendums - such as the one on the uniform financing of outpatient and inpatient services (Efas) - as well as the sharp rise in premiums as possible reasons for the increase.

Concerns about the environment and climate protection followed in second place with a share of 32%. This decreased in comparison with the years 2021 to 2023. This was closely followed by concerns about the AHV and pensions with a share of 29%, as UBS reported on Thursday.

In addition to financial concerns, the survey revealed that immigration and security issues saw the greatest increase. Challenges in the asylum system reached a share of 28 percent and immigration in general a share of 25 percent on the concern barometer.

The topic of immigration thus climbed from ninth to fourth place compared to the previous year. The topic of security and crime also climbed from twentieth to tenth place in the space of a year. Among the economic concerns, the issue of housing costs in particular gained in relevance this year, accounting for 25% of the total.

2,250 Swiss voters took part in the annual survey conducted by the research institute gfs.bern on behalf of UBS between August and mid-September.