Language(s) for media use

This indicator reveals the level of interest and identification that people who are foreign nationals and/or have a migration background hold towards their country of origin and the host country.

The language of media consumption reflects an individual’s interest for the culture, language or politics of a particular country. Regular use of the local language to watch television, listen to the radio or surf the internet indicates the level of interest of foreign nationals and/or persons with a migration background for political, cultural or linguistic affairs in the host country and well as their ability to access information in the language spoken in the commune where they live. The use of media in languages other than the local language or English, shows the identification of the population that is foreign and/or with a migration background for the country of origin, their interest in political or cultural affairs in other countries and reveals their knowledge of languages other than the local one or English.

Regardless of migration status, more than nine out of ten people use media at least once a week in the local language of their commune of residence. The percentage of people with no migration background, at least one of whose languages of media consumption is a local one, is significantly higher than that of the population with a migration background (97% compared with 92%). In the population from the second generation, the proportion of people who regularly use one of the local languages for media tends to be higher than in that of the first generation.

Overall, many people regularly use a local language for media consumption, regardless of their migration status. However, the results do show differences by group and linguistic region.

The greatest differences by group in the proportion of the population using the local language is seen in the German-speaking region. Among people with no migration background, this proportion is significantly higher than that of the population with a migration background (97% compared with 90%), regardless of generation.  However, among the population of second or subsequent generations, the proportion of people using German for media consumption does tend to be higher than that of the first generation (93% compared with 90%).

In the French-speaking region, the situation is almost identical but the differences are less marked. Among people with no migration background, this proportion is significantly higher than that of the population with a migration background (97% compared with 95%). An analysis by generation shows that there is no difference between people with no migration background and people from the second or subsequent generations. In the latter population the proportion of people using French for media consumption does tend to be higher than that of the first generation (97% compared with 94%).

In the Italian-speaking region, there is no significant difference by migration status among people whose preferred language for media consumption is Italian. Although the first generation does show slightly higher rates, the confidence intervals do not allow us to say that the difference is statistically significant.

The regular use of other languages for media consumption – other than a local language or English – concerns much fewer people in the population of Switzerland. People with a migration background stand out clearly from those with no migration background: more than 35% of people from the first or second generation use a language other than a local language or English for media consumption. In the population without a migration background, this figure is 15%.

More people in the population with a migration background regularly use another language – other than the local language or English – for media consumption (30%) than in the population with no migration background (less than 20%). This is the case in German and French-speaking regions in Switzerland. In these regions, the share of people with no migration background who use another language for media consumption tends to be higher in French-speaking regions than in German-speaking ones.

A slight difference can be seen, however, between the two language regions. In the German-speaking part, the proportion of people from the second or subsequent generation who use another language for media consumption tends to be higher than that of the first generation (40% compared with 36%). The reverse holds true in French-speaking Switzerland. The use of another language tends to be greatest among the first generation (38% compared with 37%).  

In contrast to the other two linguistic regions, in the Italian-speaking region the number of people who regularly use a language other than Italian or English for media consumption is higher in the population without a migration background (42%) than in the population with a migration background (32%). In the latter population, the first generation stands out with a higher rate than that of the second generation. However, due to the confidence intervals, we cannot say that the difference is significant.