Cross-cultural competencies

This indicator highlights the host society’s ability to receive and include in the population groups perceived as different from a cultural or national point of view. These abilities are important because they enable contact between the majority group and the minority groups. These abilities are measured from two different aspects. The first shows the majority population’s openness to diversity in everyday life. The second shows the percentage of people who are of the opinion that the diversity of national and cultural origins is an enrichment for our country’s culture.

In 2018, 65% of the permanent resident population aged 15 to 88 showed openness towards diversity in their everyday life. This percentage is higher in the population with a migration background than in the population without (74% and 59% respectively).

German and Romansh-speaking Switzerland was the only linguistic region where the population with no migration background was less open towards diversity in its daily life. In the other two linguistic regions, the difference between population groups was not statistically significant.

In Switzerland, 70% of people are of the opinion that the diversity of national and cultural origins is an enrichment for our country’s culture. The share of people who consider diversity to be a plus for our country is significantly higher in the population with a migration background; it is more than 80% across all the generations. Among persons with no migration background, the figure is 67%.

The share of people opposed to this statement, who rather or completely disagree with it - is 23% in the population as a whole. A clear difference can be seen between persons with a migration background and those without. The percentage of individuals who disagree with the statement is equal to 30% among the former regardless of their generation, and around 11% among the latter.

Only a small percentage of the population expressed no opinion. This share is considerably greater in the population with a migration background than in the population without a migration background (7% compared with 4%).

In most major regions, the share of people who agree with this statement dominates and is always stronger in the population with a migration background, irrespective of the generation. However, in Eastern Switzerland and in Ticino, the confidence intervals do not allow comparison between people with no migration background and those from the second or subsequent generations.