Market Research Companies in Switzerland

Key figures for researchers

Population

9.13 million (31 December 2025)¹

Foreign nationals

28% of residents, or 2.53 million people (end of 2025)¹

Aged 65 and over

1.81 million, now more than the under-20s (1.80 million) (2025)¹

Main languages

German or Swiss German 61%, French 23%, Italian 8%, Romansh 0.5% (2023)²

English

main language for 6% (2023); used regularly by 44% of the population (2024)²

Internet users

97.3% of individuals (2025)⁶

Online, aged 65 and over

79.8% (2025)⁵

Online shoppers

69% of people aged 15–88 in the last three months (2025)⁴

Mobile subscriptions

129 per 100 people (2024)⁷

GDP per capita

about US$114,800 (2025)⁸

Research guide

Research landscape

Switzerland has a mature research industry for its size. Agencies are spread across the language regions, with major centres such as Zurich, Basel and Bern in the German-speaking part and Geneva and Lausanne in the French-speaking part. Full-service agencies work alongside specialist qualitative, B2B and healthcare firms, field and telephone studios, and online panel providers.

The main international reference for professional standards is the ICC/ESOMAR International Code. Created in 1977 and revised in 2025 (fifth edition), it is endorsed by more than 60 associations in over 50 countries and is mandatory for ESOMAR members. The 2025 edition adds rules on the responsible use of AI and stronger protection for children, young people and vulnerable people.

Languages and fieldwork

Switzerland has four national languages. In 2023, 61% of the population gave German or Swiss German as a main language, 23% French, 8% Italian and 0.5% Romansh (people can name more than one main language). French is the official language of four cantons (Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel and Vaud), Italian of Ticino, and German of 17 cantons; the other cantons have more than one official language. A national sample therefore needs at least German, French and Italian questionnaires, tested by native speakers in each region.

The population is international: 28% of residents, or 2.53 million people, are foreign nationals. English is a main language for 6% and is used regularly by 44% of the population, so some B2B or expatriate targets can be interviewed in English, but consumer studies should use the local language. Quotas by language region and nationality help keep the sample balanced.

Which methods work

Connectivity is very high: 97.3% of individuals use the internet, 94.4% of people aged 14 and over are online, and 69% of people aged 15 to 88 bought goods or services online in the last three months. Online surveys using access panels are the main method for consumer and B2B research, and online communities and video interviews are common for qualitative work.

The population is ageing: in 2025, for the first time, people aged 65 and over (1.81 million) outnumbered those under 20 (1.80 million), and 79.8% of people aged 65 and over are online. Telephone (CATI) and face-to-face interviews remain useful for the oldest or offline audiences, hard-to-reach groups and senior B2B decision makers. For in-person focus groups, plan groups in each language region rather than in one city only.

Timing

School holidays are set by each canton, and in some cantons by the local school authorities, so dates vary across the country. In 2027, for example, summer holidays run from 5 July to 25 August in Geneva, while Zurich’s upper secondary schools break from 19 July to 21 August (primary schools in Zurich set their own dates, usually in weeks 29 to 33). Ticino’s summer holidays start in mid-June. Autumn breaks also differ: 5 to 17 October 2026 in Zurich’s upper secondary schools and 19 to 23 October 2026 in Geneva.

Christmas and New Year is a period to avoid (in Geneva, schools are closed from 24 December 2026 to 8 January 2027). Public holidays are also mostly set by the cantons: Swiss National Day (1 August) is the only federal holiday, and Easter Monday and Whit Monday are not public holidays in every canton. Check the calendar of each canton in your sample.

Data protection

Switzerland has its own data protection law: personal data is governed by the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP, often called nFADP), in force since 1 September 2023 and supervised by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC). The FDPIC can open investigations and issue binding orders to change, suspend or stop processing or to delete data, but it cannot impose fines itself.

Wilful breaches of the duties to inform, disclose and report, or of due diligence obligations (including cross-border disclosure, processors and data security), are criminal offences punishable by fines of up to CHF 250,000 for the responsible individuals. Data breaches likely to cause a high risk must be reported to the FDPIC, and a data protection impact assessment is required for high-risk processing. Ask your agency how respondents are informed, where the data is hosted and how recordings will be shared.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, cantons or language regions, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask how the questionnaire will be translated and checked in German, French and Italian, and who validates each version.
• Ask which panels will be used, how fraud and duplicates are removed, and how quotas by language region, age and nationality are set and weighted.
• Check the fieldwork calendar against the school and public holidays of each canton in the sample.
• Agree in writing who is controller and who is processor of the personal data, where it is hosted and the retention period, in line with the revised FADP.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.