Voters Overwhelmed by Complexity of Choices
Published: Monday, Oct 23rd 2023, 17:01
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The overwhelming number of candidates in this year's elections has overwhelmed the electorate. According to post-election surveys by SRG SSR and 20 Minutes/Tamedia, the SVP and the center have benefited from the voter migration. Never before have there been so many candidates and lists in an election as in the 2023 elections. However, the flood of lists overwhelmed the voters, as the SRG/SSR post-election survey by Sotomo, published on Monday, showed. More than two thirds (66 percent) of those surveyed would like to see each party submit only one list in the future. Sub-lists should be prohibited. The flood of candidates also overwhelms the voters. A third of them had difficulty with this. SVP benefited from the entire political spectrum. The Swiss People's Party (SVP) mobilized and won voters from across the political spectrum, according to the Sotomo survey. The Social Democratic Party (SP) gained two percentage points from the Greens, but lost 0.4 points to the center and 0.5 points to the SVP. The center gained votes from the left and liberals, but lost 0.7 points to the SVP. The Green Party has seen losses in support, with some voters shifting to the Social Democratic Party, the Swiss People's Party, the Green Liberal Party, and the Centre Party. The most important reason (53 percent) for switching to the SVP was dissatisfaction with the former party's migration policy. The SP benefited from the topic of health insurance premiums. It is also noticeable that many green voters did not give clear reasons for the change. 25% of those surveyed were motivated to switch parties due to topics related to gender and "wokeness" as well as the polarization of the parties. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) has announced that it will give up its seat in the Federal Council. A third of respondents believe that the FDP should immediately give up a seat in the Federal Council to the middle if the middle overtakes the FDP. 27 percent think this should happen at the next vacancy. 36 percent of those in favor of a change believe that the FDP seat should go to the middle. 28 percent preferred a seat for the Greens. The most important topic for the election decision according to this survey was migration with 26 percent, ahead of premiums (25 percent) and climate change (23 percent). The most pressing political challenge was healthcare topics (52 percent) with a clear lead over climate change (36 percent). Non-voters of 2019 are voting for the Swiss People's Party (SVP). According to a second post-election survey, the Greens were only chosen by 58 percent of those who voted for them in 2019, while 21 percent now chose the SP. This is the conclusion of the 20 Minutes/Tamedia survey by Leewas. Of the non-voters of 2019, 29 percent chose the SVP. 15 percent of FDP voters from 2019 chose the SVP this time. 16 percent of those who gave their vote to the GLP in 2019 decided to go for the middle this time. According to this survey, the FDP should give up a seat in the Federal Council if the middle party overtakes them. Around 50 percent of respondents supported the question of whether the middle party should get a second Federal Council seat if they overtake the FDP, with a yes or rather yes. 40 percent would give the second seat to the middle party at the expense of the FDP, 26 percent at the expense of the SVP and 25 percent at the expense of the SP. In response to the question of who should succeed Federal Councillor Alain Berset for the SP, 26 percent overwhelmingly voted for Zurich Council of States member Daniel Jositsch. Health costs in focus. According to a survey conducted by Leewas, 70% of respondents identified healthcare costs as the most pressing issue. Immigration/migration came in second with 51%, followed by retirement planning with 49%. Climate change was a concern for 41%, while 38% were worried about asylum issues. Energy supply was a concern for 37%. The SRG/SSR survey showed similar results. For the survey conducted by 20 Minutes and Tamedia, 30,688 people from all over Switzerland participated from October 20 to 22. The survey was conducted in collaboration with Leewas. For the SRG SSR survey conducted by Sotomo, 23,207 eligible voters participated online between October 21 and 23. ©Keystone/SDA
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