Lemanic Panel

The panel was set up for a period of five years. It comprises a representative sample of the population of the Lake Geneva region (10,000 people). Its aim is to measure changes in mobility behaviour, consumption patterns and, more broadly, lifestyles, acting as a kind of observatory of transitions.

Context
Like other European countries, Switzerland is facing the climate emergency. Several local authorities, including the cantons of Geneva and Vaud, have even declared a ‘state of climate emergency’ for their territory, which implies a major reorientation of public policy.

Part of the way forward will be based on clean technologies and optimisation linked to digitalisation. Nevertheless, in order to achieve the objectives set by COP21 under the Paris Agreement, a significant transformation in lifestyles will also be necessary.

This transformation of lifestyles affects all areas of activity:

Mobility and consumption patterns
Work, including teleworking and business travel
Leisure and shopping, including online shopping, leisure and holiday destinations, and the types of leisure activities undertaken, whether energy-intensive or not
Family and related activities

Panel coverage

The Lemanic Panel covers the entire territory of the cantons of Vaud and Geneva. It also extends into the Greater Geneva area, covering part of the French departments of Ain and Haute-Savoie. Finally, it covers part of the Chablais region in Valais and the districts of Broye and Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg.

Comparative waves

Wave 1: Mobility I

The Mobility I wave studies the mobility habits of residents of the Lemanic Panel. It focuses in particular on equipment, travel practices and mobility related to work and various reasons for travel, including trips and excursions.

Wave 2: Consumption I

Wave 2 focuses on consumption habits in the Lemanic Panel. Issues relating to housing, food, consumption and energy are addressed and studied.

Wave 3: Mobility II

The third wave of the Lemanic Panel largely consists of the same questions as the first wave. This makes it possible to analyse changes in mobility behaviour over time, particularly in relation to life events such as moving house and separations.

Wave 4: Consumption II

This fourth wave, conducted in the summer of 2025, revisits the themes of the second wave and explores changes in the consumption habits of residents of the Lemanic Panel region.

Wave 5: Mobility III

This final wave completes the Lemanic Panel by revisiting the themes of waves 1 and 3, allowing the evolution of mobility practices in the Lake Geneva region to continue to be monitored.

Unique waves across the entire Panel

GPS tracks

Wave social acceptability of land use planning measures

Focusing on land use planning issues, this wave aims to guide decision-making in the canton of Vaud in the development of the new cantonal master plan for 2050.

Wave Rhythm and Temporalities of Mobility

Our daily rhythms greatly influence our mobility behaviours, as well as issues of accessibility and insecurity when travelling. This new wave of the Lemanic Panel focuses on these new aspects to address mobility from a different perspective.

Unique waves on part of the Panel

Wave summer leisure activities

Leisure activities are an important factor in our travel habits. In order to better understand these trips, two leisure surveys were conducted in 2023, differentiating between summer and winter leisure activities.

Wave winter leisure activities

Partners

The Lemanic Panel is a collaboration between the LaSUR and the HERUS laboratory. Funding is provided by the cantons of Vaud and Geneva, while data is collected by FORS, the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences.