Despite the seemingly endless news about the cost of living and rising rental costs in the city, a new survey has revealed that people in Zurich continue to see the silver lining - even if that lining is getting more expensive. While housing and transport remain key issues, an overwhelming number of residents say they enjoy living in the "Swiss metropolis".
Of the 5.200 people questioned as part of the city’s 12th population survey, 70 percent reported that they “very much” like living in Zurich. A further 25 percent said that they "quite like" living in the city, with less than 5 percent reporting that they were unhappy.
Respondents gave high praise for the quality of life offered by the city and its institutions. In what will be good news for the local council, 75 percent of those surveyed said that Zurich was “going in the right direction” with its current policies. “We’re doing well,” Zurich Mayor Corine Mauch wrote in response to the survey.
However, giving credence to the idea that people can hold different and sometimes contradictory opinions at the same time, 66 percent said that the Zurich government could be more “dynamic” in their approach to solving the city’s problems, while around 40 percent said that they preferred the Zurich of the past to the metropolis of today.
The population is not without its worries either, with housing catching up with transport to be named the joint-top concerns in Zurich for 2023. 50 percent labelled the two topics as a problem, followed by the rising cost of living (13 percent) and politics and administrative processes (5 percent).
Indeed, the city’s infamously high costs for renting a house or apartment, coupled with the lack of available apartments, is an often-cited concern among the populace. A whopping 90 percent of respondents said that more houses needed to be built - but by contrast, an equal percentage said that no open space should be lost as a result of new housing.
Transport was also cited as a concern, with 42 percent viewing the idea of 30-kilometre-an-hour zones negatively. Indeed, TOP noted that traffic, public transport, driving, parking and cycling have been the most cited issues in Zurich since the survey began in 1999.
Finally, this year’s survey was the first to take a look into discrimination in Zurich, and it doesn’t make for good reading. 20 percent reported being the subject of discrimination in the city - most often due to nationality, language or gender - with most incidents occurring in public spaces, followed by public transport and at work.
For more information about the study, check out the official press release.