Swiss question traditional gender roles; Over half a million attended Eurovision; Most Swiss steer clear of US products due to tariffs

News for 20 May 2025

The Swiss are increasingly questioning traditional gender roles. Acceptance of same-sex parents has risen by 25 percentage within ten years. In 2023, two-thirds of 15- to 80-year-olds were of the opinion that children could grow up happily with same-sex couples. This according to an analysis published by the Federal Statistical Office.

As far as the division of roles is concerned, only around a quarter of those surveyed believed that men should bring the money home. A third thought that women were better at looking after small children. Ten years previously, these figures were 39% and 51% respectively. When asked about the preferred division of labour, more than half said that both parents should work part-time. Couples where the mother worked part-time and the father full-time continued to dominate with a share of 46%.

******

Over 500,000 people attended Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) shows or events in Basel last week, the organisers said on Monday, celebrating its "great success". “These are the numbers we dreamed of. Our expectations have been fulfilled,” Conradin Cramer, president of Basel’s cantonal government, told reporters. Around 170 million people also watched the contest on TV.

The Austrian countertenor won the 69th Eurovision in Basel on Saturday, edging out Israel. Switzerland’s Zoë Më came tenth. Over 100,000 people attended the ESC shows in the St. Jakobshalle and the Arena. A similar number attended the opening ceremony and parade through Basel’s city centre on Sunday before the start of the contest. 343,000 people attended the ESC events and public viewings at the exhibition centre and Barfüsserplatz. “We felt that the city of Basel was really involved right from the start,” said Susanne Wille, director general of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), which broadcast the contest.

******

A majority of Swiss and European consumers say they are prepared to opt out of buying American products, a study shows. A total of 5,263 people, including 1,034 in Switzerland, took part. The results show that 54% of Swiss consumers say they will steer clear of American products. Only Austria recorded a higher figure (57%).

Almost 70% of Swiss say they would like to buy European food rather than American. This trend is particularly strong among older people. The only problem is price. In Switzerland, only 10% of those questioned said they were “very probably” ready to pay more for non-US products.