This study analyses the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on stress and wellbeing in Switzerland. In particular, we assess whether vulnerable groups in terms of social isolation, increased workload and limited socioeconomic resources are affected more than others. Using longitudinal data from the Swiss Household Panel, including a specific Covid-19 study, we estimate change score models to predict changes in perceived stress and life satisfaction at the end of the semi-lockdown in comparison to before the crisis. We find no general change in life satisfaction and a small decrease in stress. Yet, in line with our expectations, more vulnerable groups in terms of social isolation (young adults, Covid-19 risk group members, individuals without a partner), workload (women) and socioeconomic resources (unemployed and those who experienced a deteriorating financial situation) reported a decrease in life satisfaction. Stress levels decreased most strongly among high earners, workers on short-time work and the highly educated.

Collecting data on households and individuals since 1999, the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) is an ongoing, unique, large--scale, nationally representative, longitudinal study in Switzerland (N=7,383 households and N=12,119 persons interviewed in 2014). The data of the SHP provide a rich source of information to study social change in Switzerland over a significant period on a wide variety of topics. The SHP aims to provide both continuity and innovation in measurement and data collection, with the combination of retrospective and prospective longitudinal data in the most recent refreshment sample as one notable example of such an innovation. This paper provides an overview of the SHP -focusing on its origin, aims, design, content, data collection and adjustments, possibilities for cross--national comparisons, data use and accomplishments.

Empirical studies have recently pointed towards a socio-structural category largely overlooked in social inequality research: the dynamic positions of households adjacent to those of the poor and yet not representing those of the established, more prosperous positions in society. These results suggest that the population in this category fluctuates into and out of poverty more often than moving into and out of secure prosperity. This category -still lacking theoretical conceptualization -is characterized by both precariousness and a certain degree of prosperity; despite a restricted and uncertain living standard it holds a range of opportunities for action. We seek analytical elements to conceptualize 'precarious prosperity' for comparative empirical research by subjecting various concepts of social inequality research to critical scrutiny. We then operationally define 'precarious prosperity' to screen for this population in three countries. Based on qualitative interviews with households in precarious prosperity, we present first analyses of perceptions and household strategies that underline the relevance of the concept in different countries.

Collecting data on households and individuals since 1999, the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) is an ongoing, unique, large-scale, nationally representative, longitudinal study in Switzerland (N = 9828 households and N = 15,882 persons interviewed in 2020). The SHP aims to provide both continuity and innovation in measurement and data collection. Examples of innovation are the combination of retrospective and prospective longitudinal data, the combination of survey modes notably in refreshment samples and additional studies oversampling specific population groups. This article provides an overview of the SHP – focusing on the survey’s key design features, content, data collection and adjustments, possibilities for cross-national comparisons, data use and accomplishments.

The LIVES-FORS Cohort Study (LCS) is a longitudinal annual survey following a cohort of young adults born between 1988 and 1997 who grew up in Switzerland (initial N = 1,691). The LCS was launched in 2013 and complements the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) by overrepresenting the second generation of immigrants ('secondos'). The principal aim of the study is to observe the transition into adulthood with a focus on the life course and on vulnerability processes, comparing participants whose parents arrived in Switzerland as adults to participants whose parents have grown up in Switzerland. The LCS provides rich data both on the factual (such as education, employment and financial situation) and on the self-judgement (wellbeing, personality and health, for example) dimensions of respondents' lives. The first wave of the LCS used a life-history calendar to collect information on each respondent's past life trajectory. In this first wave, several life trajectories were investigated (residence, cohabitation, couple's relationship, family, activities and health). This paper provides an overview of the LCS with a specific focus on the first four waves (the last data were released in December 2017).