Sociocultural Indicators are the statistical measures used to describe the different kinds of social trends and conditions that affect a population’s wellbeing within a particular region. According to Pecoraro et al. (2019). Sociocultural indicators are employed when describing a specific society’s level in a broader sense than economic indicators. Usually, the characteristics of indicators such as social-cultural ones are those targets that are very challenging to set. Also, they are found in multiple and intractable aspects that cannot be easily measured or categorized. When examining social-cultural factors, many things can be analyzed as indicators. Some of these indicators are population change, employment, social exclusion, health, education, safety, culture, and local identity.
Switzerland is one of the wealthiest nations in the world. The federal country of Switzerland is made of 26 federal states having good leadership in place. When examining its sociocultural aspects, many things stand out in Switzerland. The total population of the people living in Switzerland is approximately 8.6 million people. The life expectancy for men in Switzerland is 81 years, while women’s life expectancy is 85 years. The main languages that are spoken in the nation are French, Romansch, Germany, and Italian. There has been a rapid modernization of the people’s lifestyle over the years. These changes in lifestyle are evidenced through the changes in the nation’s habits and cuisine. Regarding the quality of life, the leading cities in Switzerland are Geneva, Basel, and Zurich. These cities have also recorded the high levels of the quality of life of its inhabitants globally (Pecoraro et al. 2019).
However, the country also has some challenges that affect social, cultural activities in the land. For example, there are claims that it is tough for foreigners to penetrate swiss social circles. Basing on a study conducted by Kalogeraki, Papadaki & Pera Ros (2018), most ex-pats who have visited the country noted that it was tough for them to integrate with the citizens and be in a position of making friends. The aging population, discrimination, hostility directed towards foreigners, and poverty are also some of the significant social challenges that Switzerland is facing (Kalogeraki, Papadaki & Pera Ros 2018).
Switzerland has a vast workforce population. Among this population, foreigners make the largest percentage. The majority of the migrants in Switzerland are people from countries such as Germany, France, China, Spain, Italy, and Turkey. Therefore, since the nation largely relies on the foreign workforce, the negative social and cultural aspects are a setback to the country’s general performance in other sectors, such as political and economic factors (Pecoraro et al. 2019).
One of the critical social-cultural indicators in Switzerland is population change. According to the study conducted by World Bank in 2018, the nation has a 0.76% annual change in terms of population growth rate. The country’s total population is grounded upon the definition of the term population, which counts all the residents of a nation without considering their legal status. Population change has a significant impact on the natural resources and the social infrastructure of a country. Data from OECD shows that Switzerland spends around USD 5600 per capita on health services. The only countries that spend more than Switzerland are the United States and Norway. Switzerland is also known for having one of the world’s healthiest populations (Pecoraro et al. 2019).
Another sociocultural indicator is education. Statistics provided by OECD shows that the nation spends USD 24 848 per student. Education spending entails all the expenditure used by schools, universities, and other educational institutions, both public and private. It incorporates the sum of money spend on teaching and ancillary services for the students and families. It is calculated as the gross domestic product (GDP) (Kalogeraki, Papadaki & Pera Ros 2018).
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