Swiss Health Survey 2027

If you have any questions or would like to take part in the Swiss Health Survey by telephone, please contact us via the hotline or by email:

Hotline:

0800 831 832 (freephone number)
Monday to Friday
8:30 – 20:30
Saturday
9:00 – 13:00

Email:

hotline@shs2027.ch

About the survey

The survey at a glance

You can complete the Swiss Health Survey 2027 online or by telephone interview. The questionnaire is available in English, German, French and Italian. The questionnaire usually takes about 30 minutes to complete. The survey is taking place from July to November 2027, following a pilot survey in autumn 2026.

The survey institute YouGov Switzerland, which has offices in Lucerne, Zurich and Lausanne, is conducting the online survey and telephone interviews on behalf of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Around 23,000 Swiss residents are selected at random to take part in the survey.

Participation in the survey is voluntary.

People selected at random for the survey will receive a letter of notification from the Federal Statistical Office and a short leaflet explaining the survey.

The results of the Swiss Health Survey are used as a basis for policy decisions and in numerous research projects.

See the 2022 results here (only available in German and French).

The questions focus on:

Health status
Physical ailments, chronic conditions, mental health, limitations in activities

Health behaviours
Diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, drug use, health and work

Use of medical services
Visits to the doctor, use of complementary and paramedical services, cancer screening and preventive medical check-ups

Sociodemographics
Education, employment, occupation, household type

The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) would like to thank everyone who takes part in the survey for helping us gather high quality data.

Data protection

The FSO ensures strict compliance with the data protection regulations, in accordance with the Federal Statistics Act (FStatA), the Federal Statistics Ordinance (FStatO), the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), and the Data Protection Ordinance (DPO).

Swiss Health Survey data are used solely for statistical purposes. No analyses of individuals' data are carried out under any circumstances.

At the end of the survey, all personal data, such as name, address and date of birth, are deleted. The data published by the FSO do not make it possible to draw any conclusions about individual persons. All FSO and YouGov Switzerland employees (the survey institute that carries out the survey) are bound by a duty of confidentiality.

Organisational and technical measures are in place to protect personal data against any unauthorised access. Other measures include:

• storage of personal and technical data on separate electronic mediums;
• encrypted data transfer between the survey agency and the FSO.

All necessary measures are taken to protect the information received through the online questionnaire or by telephone.

To ensure compliance, the FSO works closely with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).

1. What is this survey about?

It is about the health of the Switzerland’s resident population. We are interested in questions such as:

• What is the state of health of people who live in Switzerland?
• Which health behaviours can be observed in the population?
• How do health behaviours affect people’s state of health?
• How are healthcare services used by the population?

2. What will happen with the results of the survey?

The results of Swiss Health Survey will be presented to the general public at the end of 2028. Key results and key figures will also be published on the website of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

3. How will the data be used?

The Swiss Health Survey is an important foundation for Switzerland's national and cantonal health policies. It provides essential data on changes in health behaviours and in the state of health of the population.

The Swiss Health Survey covers topics that are not available from any other data source and are not already covered by other surveys.

Data from the health survey is used in many scientific research projects at national and international level.

4. Do I have to participate in the survey?

No, participation in the survey is voluntary.

The survey is very important as the results provide data for public debate and policy on health.

To ensure that the survey accurately reflects the health status and behaviours of Switzerland’s resident population, it is important that everyone who is randomly selected to take part does so, no matter their age, whether they feel healthy or live with chronic illnesses, how frequently they visit a doctor or how regularly they take medication. We need to include all these perspectives to gain a complete picture of the population's health in Switzerland.

Using a sample survey minimises the burden on the public.

5. Why was I chosen?

Participants are selected at random to ensure the scientific validity of results. They are selected from the FSO’s sampling frame.

6. Data protection

Data protection is guaranteed. Once the survey is complete, the survey institute transmits the data to the FSO and then destroys it. The data is always anonymised and no longer contains any personal information (such as names, addresses or dates of birth). The FSO works closely with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) to ensure compliance.

7. Where did the FSO get my address?

Since 1 November 2010, the FSO has held a sample register from which sample populations for the surveys are drawn. The register contains data transmitted by the population registers of the cantons and communes. This data is updated quarterly. and comprises the basic data of everyone who resides in Switzerland.