High Swiss multilingualism driven by English

Multilingualism is widespread in Switzerland. Nearly two-thirds use more than one language regularly in daily life, and according to the Federal Statistical Office, 86% of residents believe speaking several national languages is important for national cohesion.

Overall, 63% of Swiss residents are multilingual – 37% of the population speak one language, 37% speak two, and 26% speak three or more. Multilingualism rises from 38% among those over 64 to 81% among those aged 15-24 – see chart here.

Switzerland’s overall rate of multilingualism (63%) is a bit ahead of the EU average (59%). Compared to its neighbours, Switzerland sits in the middle, trailing Austria (78%) and Germany (67%), but ahead of France (51%) and Italy (38%) – these comparisons should be taken with a pinch of salt. They are from different surveys at different times. And, crucially, the definition of “speaking” a language may be different.

Despite Swiss multilingualism, most do not speak multiple Swiss languages: German, French and Italian – Romanche, the other Swiss language, is not covered by the report. In German-speaking Switzerland, only 13% speak French and less than 12% speak Italian. In French-speaking Switzerland, 14% speak German and 15% Italian. Italian-speaking Switzerland wins on mastery of national languages: 20% speak German and 30% speak French – see chart here. But even in Ticino it’s a minority pursuit.

The key drivers of Swiss multilingualism are English and the other languages migrants bring with them.

English’s reach

Among non-national languages, English dominates. Some 44% of the population use it regularly. In the German-speaking region, more people use English than French (45% versus 15%); in French-speaking Switzerland, more use English than German (41% versus 16%). Other foreign languages have smaller but notable footholds: Spanish (6%), Portuguese (4%) and Albanian (4%). Spanish and Portuguese are most common in French-speaking Switzerland (9% each); Albanian and BCMS (Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian) are more prevalent in German-speaking Switzerland (4% each).

A confident Anglophone public

Among 15- to 64-year-olds whose first language is not English, just over half (52%) rate their active English as good or very good; 69% say the same of their passive skills. Younger people are more confident: 65% of 15- to 24-year-olds rate their active English as strong, compared with 56% of 25- to 44-year-olds. Working-age Swiss are more likely to have a strong command of English than of other national languages.

Learning by design

Language learning remains common. Nearly a quarter of people aged 25 or over are studying one or more languages. English is the most popular (32%), followed by German (22%) and French (18%). German and French are most often studied for work, English for holidays. French is mainly learned in school (83%); German, more through work or language courses (67% each) – see chart here.

More on this:
FSO article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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