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Almost half the Swiss population dream of emigrating

Bern (ots)

Nearly half of Switzerland's population has toyed
with the idea of emigrating. Men dream slightly more often of moving
to warmer climes than women, and the German and French-speaking Swiss
do so a little more than their Italian-speaking counterparts. These
are some of the most significant findings of a survey commissioned by
swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI), which also revealed that
Australia is by far the most popular destination for potential
emigrants. Details of this survey can be accessed on
www.swissinfo.org from Monday, 18 February onwards.
Recent years have seen an increase in the trend among the Swiss to
emigrate; one in ten Swiss now lives abroad. So what do the Swiss
think about emigrating? Which countries attract them most? Why do
people want to leave Switzerland? The answers to these questions can
be found in a representative survey of 2,359 Swiss which was
commissioned by swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI) and
conducted in January by the Link Institute. The survey produced some
surprising results.
The dream of flying away . . .
Forty-five percent of those surveyed have already dreamed of
settling abroad - men a little more often than women. The inhabitants
of the mainly Italian-speaking canton of Ticino (39%) are clearly not
as keen on the idea as their French-speaking compatriots in the west
of Switzerland (44%) or those in the German-speaking region (46%).
People in employment, the better educated and those earning higher
incomes (48%) tend to consider emigrating more readily than people
who are not in employment, those without formal training or those on
lower incomes (38%). There is also a notable difference in attitude
between Internet users and non-users. Of Internet users surveyed, 54%
said they would like to emigrate, whereas 65% of non-users had no
desire to leave their homeland.
... to far-flung lands
Australia tops the list as the most popular destination for
would-be émigrés. Fourteen percent - many of whom are young couples
without children - favour Australia over other countries. The second
most popular destination is the United States: 11% of those surveyed
- often people without any occupational training - fancied starting a
new life on the other side of the Atlantic. Following closely on the
heels of the USA comes Canada, with 10% making it their destination
of choice. European countries appear not to have the same pulling
power and come lower down the list: Italy (8%), Spain (8%) and France
(7%).
And how do those who want to emigrate envisage life in their new
homeland? Twenty-seven percent expect to find a different mentality,
while 21% hope for a more positive feeling about life and a better
quality of life. And 18% voiced positive thoughts about nature and
the climate, as well as professional and financial opportunities.
Portraits from Australia
From Monday, 18 February, details of the survey can be found on
www.swissinfo.org. To coincide with this, swissinfo/SRI will be
starting a six-part series featuring Swiss men and women who have
settled in Australia. The multimedia news and information platform
will present portraits of Swiss citizens, from a banker through to a
nutrition consultant and a farmer, who are now living far from home.
swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI)
Swiss people living abroad are the prime target audience of
swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI). The multimedia
swissinfo/SRI news und information platform - www.swissinfo.org -
provides information about Switzerland in nine languages (English,
German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese and
Chinese), not only for the Swiss abroad, but also for non-Swiss who
are interested in Switzerland. In addition, the platform offers a
wide range of services to users: a comprehensive collection of
Swiss-related links, geographical maps, a free e-mail address
(http://freemail.swissinfo.org), and an information service that
provides answers by e-mail to questions of all types about
Switzerland (www.swisshelpdesk.org).

Contact:

Christine Dudle-Crevoisier
Head of Communication & Marketing
Mobile +41/79/358'06'30
E-mail: christine.dudle@swissinfo.ch

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