Methodology
To determine the key questions mentioned above, a qualitative survey was conducted in March 2025 with 204 people using an online questionnaire.
Demographically, people born between 1995 and 2010, who belong to GenZ according to Simon Schnetzer's definition (2024), were included. The respondents were segmented according to their level of education and gender. Household income was also surveyed.
Quality assurance of the responses was ensured by means of a market research platform.
The basic population surveyed is made up as follows:
- Gender: 40 % male, 58 % female, 2 % diverse
- Education: 28% with tertiary education, 72% without tertiary education
- Household income: 42 % up to CHF 50,000, 58 % over CHF 50,000
Results
All questions and the respective survey results are explained in detail below. An interpretation of the results can be found in the following section.
Use of ChatGPT
According to our study results, 42% of respondents use ChatGPT daily, while 33% use the tool weekly. 18% rarely use ChatGPT and 7% of respondents stated that they do not use it at all.
General results
All respondents
Breakdown by gender
Broken down by gender, 52% of men use ChatGPT daily, while 34% of women use the tool daily. 33% of men and 33% of women use it weekly. 11% of men rarely use ChatGPT, compared to 22% of women. 5% of men have never used the tool, compared to 10% of women.
Breakdown by level of education
People with a tertiary education use ChatGPT more frequently than those without a higher education. 56% of academics say they use the tool daily, compared to 37% of people without a tertiary education. 41% of respondents with a university or university of applied sciences degree use ChatGPT on a weekly basis, compared to 30% of respondents without a tertiary education. The tool is rarely used by 4% of people with a higher education, while 23% of respondents without a tertiary education only use it occasionally. None of the respondents with an academic degree have never used ChatGPT, while 11% of respondents without higher education state that they have never used the tool.
Use of AI tools for research
All respondents
The assessment of the use of AI tools for research and academic work is predominantly positive. 38% of respondents rate the use of such tools as very positive, while 40% see it as somewhat positive. 13% are neutral towards the use. Critical voices make up a smaller proportion: 6% of respondents are critical of the use of AI in this area and 2% are very critical.
Breakdown by gender
Furthermore, 41% of men and 35% of women rate the use of these tools as very positive. A rather positive view is held by 46% of men and 37% of women. While 7% of men take a neutral stance, this figure is 18% for women. 6% of men and 6% of women are critical of its use. A very critical view of the use of AI tools was expressed by 4% of women, while none of the men surveyed shared this opinion.
Breakdown by level of education
The assessment of the use of AI tools for research and academic work differs depending on the level of education. 31% of respondents with a tertiary education rate their use as very positive, while this figure is 40% for people without a tertiary degree. 50% of people with a higher education and 37% of respondents without a tertiary degree were somewhat positive. A neutral attitude is held by 13% in both groups. 6% of respondents with a tertiary education and 7% of those without a higher education were critical of the use. A very critical view was expressed by 3% of respondents without a tertiary education, while none of the respondents with an academic degree shared this opinion.
AI tools usage by situation
This question was asked specifically for two groups - people with and without a tertiary education - as the relevant areas of application differ. While information searches, work and creative tasks are the main focus for respondents without a tertiary education, learning, research and academic work are also important for people with a tertiary education.
The use of AI tools among respondents without tertiary education is spread across various areas of application. 33% use AI tools to search for information in everyday life. 29% use them at work, while 26% use them for creative tasks. 12% of respondents without tertiary education state that they do not use AI tools.
People with a tertiary education use AI tools in various areas. 23% use them for creative tasks, 21% use them in a work context and 19% for personal research. 18% of respondents say they use AI tools as a learning aid, while 17% use them for academic work. Only 1% of respondents with higher education do not use AI tools.
Trust in answers from ChatGPT
All respondents
Trust in the answers provided by ChatGPT varies among the respondents. 8% have full trust in the answers generated, while 39% trust them rather strongly. 41% of respondents are neutral about the answers. 9% show rather little trust, and 3% do not trust ChatGPT's answers at all.
Breakdown by gender
Broken down by gender, 2% of men and 12% of women have full confidence in the answers generated by ChatGPT. 37% of men and 39% of women trust the answers somewhat. A neutral stance is taken by 48% of men and 37% of women. 8% of men and 9% of women show little trust, while 4% of men and 2% of women do not trust ChatGPT's answers at all.
Breakdown by level of education
Confidence in the answers provided by ChatGPT varies depending on the level of education. 7 % of respondents with tertiary education and 9 % of respondents without higher education have full confidence in the answers generated. In both groups, 39% trust the answers rather strongly. 50% of people with tertiary education and 38% of respondents without higher education are neutral about the answers. 2% of academics and 11% of respondents without tertiary education tend not to trust the answers. 2 % of people with a higher education and 3 % of respondents without a tertiary degree do not trust the answers at all.
Preferred sources for finding information
All respondents
Die bevorzugten Informationsquellen der Befragten variieren. 46 % aller Befragten greifen für die Suche nach Informationen bevorzugt auf Google zurück. 41 % nutzen primär ChatGPT und andere KI-gestützte Tools. Bücher werden von 8 % der Befragten als bevorzugte Informationsquelle genannt. 3 % der Teilnehmenden setzen auf andere Quellen, während 2 % Informationen vorrangig über Social Media beziehen.
Breakdown by gender
The preferred sources of information differ according to gender. 39% of the men and 51% of the women surveyed primarily use Google to search for information. In contrast, 58% of men prefer ChatGPT and other AI tools, while this only applies to 36% of women. Books are named as the primary source of information by 7% of men and 8% of women. 4% of men and 2% of women rely on other sources. In both groups, 2% prefer to use social media to find information.
Breakdown by level of education
The preferred sources of information vary depending on the level of education. 37% of respondents with a tertiary education and 49% of respondents without a tertiary degree prefer to use Google to search for information. In both groups, 41% rely on ChatGPT and other AI-supported tools. Books are named as the primary source of information by 15% of respondents with a tertiary education, while this only applies to 5% of respondents without a higher education qualification. 7% of academics and 1% of respondents without tertiary education rely on other sources. Social media is not preferred by anyone with a tertiary education, while 3% of respondents without a tertiary education use these platforms as their primary source of information.
Why do you prefer ChatGPT to Google for certain search queries?
All respondents
The reasons for preferring ChatGPT over Google vary. 31% of respondents use ChatGPT for certain search queries because they receive faster answers. 24% appreciate the easier handling of the tool. 22% prefer ChatGPT because of the personalized results. 19% of respondents see the higher quality of the answers as a decisive advantage. 4% cite other reasons for their preference.
Breakdown by gender
The reasons for preferring ChatGPT over Google differ depending on gender. 32% of men and 30% of women use ChatGPT for certain search queries because they receive faster answers. 22% of men and 26% of women prefer the tool because it is easier to use. Personalized results are a decisive factor for 23% of men and 21% of women. 21% of men and 18% of women appreciate the higher quality of the answers. 1% of men and 5% of women cite other reasons for their preference.
Breakdown by level of education
The reasons for preferring ChatGPT over Google vary depending on the level of education. 29% of respondents with tertiary education and 32% of respondents without tertiary education use ChatGPT for certain search queries because they receive faster answers. 16% of academics and 20% of respondents without tertiary education prefer the tool because of the better quality of the answers. Ease of use is a decisive factor for 16% of respondents with a tertiary degree and 23% of respondents without a higher education qualification. 24% of academics and 22% of respondents without tertiary education appreciate the personalized results. 5% of those with tertiary education and 3% of respondents without tertiary education cite other reasons for their preference.
If you compare ChatGPT and Google: Which tool do you use more often to search for information?
All respondents
The frequency of use of Google and ChatGPT varies among the respondents. 53% of respondents state that they use Google more often to search for information than ChatGPT. In contrast, 30% of respondents prefer to use ChatGPT. 16% use both tools roughly equally often. 1 % of respondents do not use either tool.
Subdivisionby gender
The frequency of use of Google and ChatGPT differs according to gender. 51% of men and 56% of women surveyed use Google more frequently than ChatGPT to search for information. 34% of men and 27% of women state that they use ChatGPT more frequently. In both groups, 16% use both tools roughly equally often. While none of the men surveyed use both tools, 2% of women state that they use neither.
Breakdown by level of education
The frequency of use of Google and ChatGPT differs according to gender. 51% of men and 56% of women surveyed use Google more frequently than ChatGPT to search for information. 34% of men and 27% of women state that they use ChatGPT more frequently. In both groups, 16% use both tools roughly equally often. While none of the men surveyed use both tools, 2% of women state that they use neither.
The frequency of use of Google and ChatGPT varies depending on the level of education. 56% of respondents with tertiary education and 53% of respondents without tertiary education use Google more frequently than ChatGPT to search for information. 28% of academics and 31% of respondents without a tertiary education state that they use ChatGPT more frequently. 17% of people with a tertiary education and 15% of respondents without a tertiary education use both tools roughly equally often. While none of the respondents with a tertiary degree do without both tools, 1% of respondents without a tertiary education state that they do not use either of them.
Do you feel threatened by AI applications in terms of your career?
(1 = not at all, 5 = very strongly)
All respondents
The perception of the impact of AI on career opportunities varies among the respondents. 30% of participants do not see their professional future threatened by AI at all. 39% perceive the potential impact as rather harmless. 22% are neutral about the impact of AI on their career. 8% of respondents perceive a rather strong threat, while 1% of participants see AI as a very strong threat to their professional future.
Breakdown by gender
The perception of the impact of AI on career opportunities varies among the respondents. 30% of participants do not see their professional future threatened by AI at all. 39% perceive the potential impact as rather harmless. 22% are neutral about the impact of AI on their career. 8% of respondents perceive a rather strong threat, while 1% of participants see AI as a very strong threat to their professional future.
Breakdown by level of education
The perception of the impact of AI on career opportunities differs depending on gender. 31% of men and 29% of women surveyed do not feel threatened at all by AI in their professional future. 46% of men and 34% of women perceive the potential impact as rather unthreatening. 17% of men and 25% of women are neutral about the impact of AI on their career. 6% of men and 10% of women feel rather strongly threatened. While none of the men surveyed perceive a very strong threat, 2% of women see AI as a significant threat to their professional future.
The perception of the impact of AI on career opportunities varies depending on the level of education. 28% of respondents with tertiary education and 31% of respondents without tertiary education do not feel threatened at all by AI in their professional future. 48% of academics and 35% of respondents without tertiary education consider the potential impact to be rather unproblematic. 17% of respondents with tertiary education and 24% of respondents without tertiary education are neutral about the impact of AI on their career. 7 % of academics and 9 % of respondents without tertiary education feel rather strongly threatened. While no respondent with a tertiary degree perceives a very strong threat, 1% of respondents without a tertiary degree see AI as a significant threat to their professional future.
Do you believe that AI systems like ChatGPT are capable of replicating human creativity?
All respondents
Opinions differ as to whether AI systems such as ChatGPT are able to replicate human creativity. 41% of respondents believe that AI can replicate human creativity. 36% deny this ability, while 23% of participants are unsure.
Breakdown by gender
The assessment of whether AI systems such as ChatGPT can replicate human creativity varies depending on gender. 37% of the men and 43% of the women surveyed agree with this statement. 39% of men and 35% of women disagree. 24% of men and 22% of women are unsure.
Breakdown by level of education
The assessment of whether AI systems such as ChatGPT can replicate human creativity also differs depending on the level of education. 31% of respondents with tertiary education and 45% of respondents without higher education agree with this statement. 43% of academics and 34% of respondents without tertiary education disagree. 26% of people with a tertiary education and 21% of respondents without a higher education qualification are unsure.
Do you think AI will replace creative professions in the future?
All respondents
The assessment of whether AI will replace creative professions in the future varies among the respondents. 41% of participants believe that AI could replace creative professions in the future. 34% are of the opposite opinion, while 25% are unsure.
Breakdown by gender
The assessment of whether AI will replace creative professions in the future hardly differs between the genders. 41% of the men and women surveyed agree with this statement. 36% of men and 33% of women are of the opposite opinion. 23% of men and 26% of women are unsure.
Breakdown by level of education
The assessment of whether AI will replace creative professions in the future varies depending on the level of education. 24% of respondents with tertiary education and 47% of respondents without tertiary education believe that AI could replace creative professions in the future. 50% of academics and 29% of respondents without tertiary education deny this possibility. 26% of respondents with tertiary education and 24% of respondents without tertiary education are unsure.
Do you think AI will replace academic professions in the future?
All respondents
The assessment of whether AI will replace academic professions in the future is mixed among the respondents. 29% of participants believe that AI could replace academic professions in the future. 39% deny this possibility, while 32% are unsure.
Breakdown by gender
The assessment of whether AI will replace academic professions in the future differs depending on gender. 29% of the men and women surveyed agree with this statement. 36% of men and 41% of women deny this possibility. 35% of men and 30% of women are unsure.
Breakdown by level of education
The assessment of whether AI will replace academic professions in the future varies depending on the level of education. 28% of respondents with tertiary education and 29% of respondents without tertiary education believe that AI could replace academic professions in the future. 41% of academics and 38% of respondents without tertiary education deny this possibility. 31% of respondents with tertiary education and 33% of respondents without tertiary education are unsure.
Interpretation of the results
The results of this qualitative survey confirm the findings of previous studies, but also provide new insights into the use of GenZ AI in Switzerland.
In the following, the key findings are examined in more detail and linked to existing studies.
Gender gap in the use of AI
Men prefer ChatGPT more often (58%) than Google (39%). Women, on the other hand, show exactly the opposite behavior. Only 36% prefer ChatGPT for obtaining information, with 51% continuing to rely on Google.
In addition, women use ChatGPT less frequently than men. While only 34% of women use the tool daily, the figure for men is 52%. This shows that There is a gender gap in AI usage.
These results are in line with a comprehensive study by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) from 2024 and the findings of a working paper by Harvard Business School ("Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI").
According to the BIS study, 50% of men already use generative AI tools, while the proportion of women is only 37%. The Harvard study shows that across all age groups, women are 10-40% less likely to adopt AI than men.
The causes of these gender-specific differences are not yet fully understood.
Initial findings from the Harvard study suggest that women are more likely to have ethical concerns about using AI tools than men (Blanding, 2025). They are also more reluctant to use AI in their day-to-day work, as they fear that the use of AI could be seen as an "unfair tool" (Blanding, 2025). However, it remains unclear whether these behaviors also apply to Generation Z in Switzerland.
An ongoing study by Montclair State University (2023) has also discovered a generally increased risk aversion among GenZ compared to previous generations. The study also states that previous studies have mostly confirmed that men are less concerned about potential risks than women. Whether this explanatory approach also applies to the gender-specific differences in GenZ in Switzerland, however, requires further investigation.
An interesting observation from our study is also that trust is significantly higher among women who use AI tools compared to men. 12% of women have full confidence in AI answers, compared to just 2% of men.
The possible reasons for this could be complex. One possible explanation is that women have different communication patterns in their interaction with AI tools than men, which could lead to a higher level of trust in the responses generated. Alternatively, the higher willingness to trust could also indicate that the group of women who use AI-supported applications tend to show a higher willingness to take risks or a lower risk aversion than men.
Further scientific research is required to test these hypotheses and identify the underlying mechanisms.
Independent of the theoretical explanatory basis, our results show that AI influences information search differently depending on gender.
Educational gap in the impact of AI on creative professions
Almost half (45%) of respondents without a tertiary education believe that AI can replicate human creativity. In contrast, only 31% of academic respondents believe this.
How does this divergence between different educational groups come about?
People with a tertiary education may be more inclined to view human creativity as complex and original. Higher education often involves a deeper engagement with abstract concepts, theories and critical analysis than a less academic or manual occupation.
This means that people with a tertiary education may place higher demands on the creative performance of AI systems.
Furthermore, the concept of creativity can of course be interpreted subjectively. A further explanation could therefore be that people without a tertiary education have a broader, pragmatic understanding of creativity than those with a higher education.
Finally, there could also be a certain bias among the academically educated respondents. These people are more likely to work in jobs that require creativity and independent thinking. As AI technologies could be seen as potential competition, there may be an unconscious skepticism about the ability of AI to completely replace human creativity.
This study cannot provide a conclusive answer as to why , but the results may offer starting points for future research.
Little fear at GenZ of job loss due to AI
It is astonishing that although fears of job loss often dominate the media, 64% of GenZ do not or hardly feel threatened by AI. Only 9% feel a strong threat of job loss due to AI.
These results also contradict previous studies conducted across generations. For example, a study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Germany found that 40% of respondents were afraid of losing their job as a result of AI.
GenZ in Switzerland paints a much more optimistic picture. This finding should be particularly relevant for employers and universities.
A notable difference in this context can be seen in the breakdown by gender and level of education. Of the women surveyed, 12% feel either very strongly or somewhat strongly threatened by AI applications in their careers, whereas only half of the men feel this way, i.e. 6%.
This could be explained by the fact that numerous studies indicate that men feel less threatened in their careers and women doubt their abilities more often. A key concept in this context is the so-called impostor syndrome, in which those affected underestimate their own performance.
This phenomenon is more common among women than men. According to the KPMG Women's Leadership Summit Report (2020), 75% of the female managers surveyed stated that they had experienced impostor syndrome in the course of their career. In addition, 56% of women said they feared that their colleagues would not trust them in their position or that they would not live up to expectations. Almost half of the women surveyed (47%) stated that their self-doubt stems from unexpectedly reaching their career level, which reinforces their feeling of not really belonging there.
Interestingly, 74% of female managers believe that men are less often affected by such self-doubt. Both social and personal factors play a role here. The situation is particularly challenging for women who act as the "first" or "only" representative in leadership roles, as this can reinforce the feeling of constantly having to prove themselves.
The study also highlights ways in which impostor syndrome can be reduced: 47% of women cited a supportive manager as a key factor in reducing self-doubt, while 29% emphasized that appreciation and fair remuneration are crucial for a positive working environment. (KPMG, 2020)
The difference can also be seen in the level of education, but is less significant. 76% of respondents with a tertiary education do not feel that their career is threatened by AI at all or not at all, while the figure for respondents without a tertiary education is 10% lower, i.e. 66%.
This could be explained by the fact that people with tertiary education work in specialized occupational fields that require a higher level of expertise and cognitive skills, making them more difficult to replace by AI. Studies confirm that highly skilled workers are less likely to be affected by automation, as their jobs require complex problem-solving, creative decision-making and in-depth expert knowledge (OECD, 2021). In addition, a study by the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (2024) shows that academics often see technological progress as an opportunity, as they can increase their efficiency through the use of AI instead of being replaced by it.
These factors could explain why respondents with higher education feel less threatened in their career than those without a tertiary degree.
AI displaces Google as the preferred source of information
41% of all respondents already prefer ChatGPT to Google for certain search queries. The main reasons are speed (31%), ease of use (22%) and the quality of the answers (19%).
Despite this, when asked which tool is used more for information searches, more respondents (53%) stated that they use Google more often than ChatGPT (30%). This seems contradictory - why is Google used more, even though a larger proportion of respondents prefer AI tools for information searches?
Two possible explanations are that Google stands for more than just pure information search (with tools such as Google Maps, Google docs, Forms etc.) and that the respondents therefore rate Google usage higher, as they draw information from various Google tools, compared to ChatGPT, which functions as a stand-alone tool.
Another reason could be habit. GenZ has grown up with Google. Even if there are now better alternatives, people still google frequently out of habit.
Regardless of this, the study shows that the user behavior of GenZ has changed significantly since the introduction of AI tools.
This insight is highly relevant for companies and marketing companies in the areas of search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine advertising (SEA), which must adapt to this change in user behavior.
The level of education correlates strongly with the use of AI
56% of respondents with a tertiary education use ChatGPT on a daily basis, compared to only 37% of those without a tertiary education. At the same time, only 1% of respondents with a tertiary education never use AI tools, compared to 11% of respondents without a tertiary education.
The strong correlation between the level of education and the use of ChatGPT was already confirmed in the nationally representative study by Michael Latzer and Noemi Festic (2024) from the University of Zurich. Our survey confirms this finding.
Closing words
The results of this study provide valuable insights into the usage behavior of AI tools within GenZ in Switzerland. The gender-specific differences, the correlation between level of education and usage and the changing position of Google as the preferred source of information show that the digital landscape is changing dynamically in the course of AI development.
It is particularly noteworthy that GenZ has an optimistic attitude towards AI overall and sees it as an opportunity rather than a threat. At the same time, existing differences in the use and acceptance of AI tools can be explained by socio-cultural and educational factors. These findings not only offer starting points for future research, but are also highly relevant for companies and educational institutions.
The transformation of digital information search and the growing trust in AI will continue. This poses new challenges for science, business and society, but also opens up new opportunities for innovation and further development.
Sources
Aldasoro, I., Armantier, O., Doerr, S., Gambacorta, L., & Oliviero, T. (2024). The gen AI gender gap. 1197. https://www.bis.org/publ/work1197.htm
Blanding, M. (2025, February 20). Women Are Avoiding AI. Will Their Careers Suffer? | Working Knowledge. Harvard Business School. https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/women-are-avoiding-using-artificial-intelligence-can-that-hurt-their-careers
Byrnes, J. P., Miller, D. C., & Schafer, W. D. (1999). Gender differences in risk taking: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 125(3), 367-383. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.3.367
Beyondweb GmbH (2025). Webagentur. https://www.beyondweb.ch/
Hargittai, E., & Shafer, S. (2006). Differences in Actual and Perceived Online Skills: The Role of Gender*. Social Science Quarterly, 87(2), 432-448. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00389.x
Klöckner, J., & Specht, F. (2025, March 20). AI: Germans' fear of artificial intelligence. https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/ki-die-angst-der-deutschen-vor-der-kuenstlichen-intelligenz/29190948.html
KPMG. (2021). [Advancing the Future of Women in Business](The 2020 KPMG Women's Leadership Summit Report). https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/sk/pdf/2020/2020-KPMG-Womens-Leadership-Summit-Report.pdf
Lane, M., & Saint-Martin, A. (2021). The impact of AI on labor markets: What we know so far. https://doi.org/10.1787/540444e1-de
Otis, N. G., Cranney, K., Delecourt, S., & Koning, R. (2024). Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/h6a7c
Schlude, A., Harles, D., Stürz, R. A., & Stumpf, C. (2024). Distribution of generative AI in private and professional everyday life in 2024. https://doi.org/10.35067/XYPQ-KN72
Schnetzer, S. (2025, March 20). Generation Z: Digital youth with clear values. https://www.simon-schnetzer.com/wissen/generation-z
