We described population-average trajectories of wellbeing, spanning the period of 2017–2022, comparing young people with other age groups. We showed that young people (age 14–25) experienced a steady decline in positive moods and life satisfaction throughout the entire period, with the greatest change occurring already before the pandemic (2017–2019). The trajectories in this outcome were largely stable in other age groups.
For all age groups, negative emotions increased during the pandemic and declined thereafter. But young individuals showed a more pronounced increase in the pre-pandemic years. Among young people specifically, the trajectory of stress resembled the one of negative emotions. However, issues such as sleep problems, weakness, weariness, and headaches increased from 2017 to 2022. We also found evidence for a greater increase in negative emotions during the pandemic in young women and young people not in employment or education.
As the decline in young people’s wellbeing in Switzerland started at least two years before the pandemic, our study emphasises the importance of considering their wellbeing within a broader systemic context beyond pandemic-related changes.
This study was conducted using longitudinal data from six waves (2017–2022) of the Swiss Household Panel (www.swisspanel.ch). Participants were at least 14 years old in 2017 (11’224 individuals and 49’032 observations). We conceptualized wellbeing as positive affect and life satisfaction, negative affect, stress and psychosomatic symptoms. We described the trajectories of wellbeing using piecewise growth curve analysis. To describe wellbeing trajectories across subgroups of young people, we assessed gender, migration status, partnership status, living with parents, education/employment status, and household income.