Though the government and the majority of political parties are urging voters to reject the hard-right’s proposal to limit the number of foreigners coming to Switzerland, nearly half of Swiss citizens support the measure, a new poll reveals.
According to a new opinion poll carried out by the Tamedia media group, the majority of voters are in favour of the ‘No Switzerland of 10 million’ initiative.
Concretely, 48 percent of respondents back this move, while 41 percent do not.
Not surprisingly, the support is strongest – to the tune of 88 percent – among the sympathisers of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which spearheaded this initiative.
It seeks to drastically reduce the influx of foreigners to Switzerland, so that the country’s population doesn’t exceed the 10-million mark, which the populist party claims will overburden key infrastructure, such as housing, public transport, the health system, and schools.
READ ALSO: What exactly does the Swiss ‘no to 10 million’ anti immigration proposal aim to do?
Who else is in favour of it?
As the survey shows, the Centre party supporters are almost evenly divided on this issue: 42 percent of voters are in favour of curbing immigration, while 43 percent are against.
As for Liberal-Radicals (PLR), 46 percent approve the initiative and 38 percent oppose it.
Conversely, opposition to the initiative is very strong on the left: 73 percent of socialist supporters reject it, as do 72 percent of the Greens.
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Other criteria
The poll also looked at other criteria that determine the affinity – or lack thereof – for the initiative, such as geographical location and education level of the respondents.
It found that city dwellers are less favourable toward the SVP proposal (39 percent) than those living in rural areas (51 percent).
Similarly, only 28 percent of university graduates support the initiative, while it appeals to 54 percent of study participants who hold a vocational certificate.
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A prevailing trend?
These new results are in line with an earlier survey, conducted in September by the Sotomo Research Institute on behalf of the Swiss Trade Union Federation (USS).
It found that 48 percent of respondents were in favour of the SVP initiative, while 45 percent said they would vote against it.
READ ALSO: Will Swiss voters back the anti-immigration proposal?
The exact date for the referendum has not been set yet, but it is expected to come to the ballot box sometime in 2026.
