The latest study by the Sotomo polling agency has revealed what people in Switzerland’s main concerns are as of July 2023. With the federal elections only a few months away, experts see the findings as a good indicator of which issues will take pride and place at the heart of each political party's campaign.

Climate change back as the Swiss' main worry for 2023

After coming second to inflation concerns in the official worry barometer last May, the July 2023 survey of 25.216 Swiss citizens named climate change as the top issue for the rest of 2023. 40 percent of respondents chose the climate crisis as one of the three biggest issues facing Switzerland today. 

Some have blamed the varying poll numbers on the fact that concerns about the climate can be quite seasonal. For instance, the lack of snow during the winter, and heatwaves and forest fires in the summer make the issue more visible than during the spring and autumn when conditions are more temperate.

Health insurance costs and immigration high on the agenda

In second place in the poll were concerns about expected hikes in the cost of health insurance, with 38 percent citing it as one of their three main issues. After rising by 6,6 percent last year, prices for both basic and supplemental insurance are expected to increase by a further 6 percent when premiums are renewed later this year.

In what will be good news for the Swiss People’s Party - who base a significant amount of their campaigning on migration - immigration concerns took third with 29 percent. Worries about energy security rounded out the top four with 26 percent, while the once-dominant concern about the cost of living fell to fifth on the list with 23 percent.

Traditional hot-button issues in other countries, like taxes, national defence and unemployment, find themselves in joint 14th, 16th and 17th place respectively.

SVP set to claim victory as Green Party slumps, poll finds

Interestingly, despite climate change being the top issue for voters, the same poll revealed that if an election were to take place now, the Green Party would lose out most with a 3 percent dip in support compared to the last federal election in 2019.

The same poll predicted that the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) would win the election with a 1,5 percent vote increase compared to 2019, up to 27,1 percent of the total vote. They would be followed by the Social Democratic Party (17,8, +1), FDP. The Liberals (14,6, -0,5), The Centre Party (14,3, +0,5), the Green Party (10,2, -3) and the Green Liberal Party (8,3, +0,5).

Why have worries about climate change not helped the Greens?

According to Christa Gall from SRF, the Green Party of Switzerland has struggled to recapture the same magic it had during the climate strikes of 2019 - when it was able to mobilise tens of thousands of people to march for a better climate policy. She argued that the party has also failed to differentiate itself from the Social Democratic Party (SP) - an analysis by SonntagsZeitung found that in the last year, the SP and Greens have voted the same way 94 percent of the time. 

What’s more, unlike the parties ahead of them in the poll, the Greens do not have a representative in the executive Federal Council, making them less visible to the public. However, despite the poor forecast, Green Party president Balthasar Glättli told the national broadcaster that their fortunes are still reversible by the time citizens go to vote in October.

What are the biggest issues in Switzerland in 2023?

In all, here are the 17 biggest concerns amongst the Swiss in July 2023 (by the percentage of respondents that named it one of their three biggest issues):

• 1. Climate change (40)
• 2. Health insurance costs (38)
• 3. Immigration (29)
• 4. Security of the energy supply (26)
• =5. Cost of living (23)
• =5. Retirement reform and pensions (23)
• 7. Relations with the European Union (19)
• 8. House prices (14)
• 9. Independence and sovereignty (13)
• 10. The protection of nature (12)
• 11. The Swiss economy (11)
• 12. Crime and safety (10)
• 13. Rights, free expression and free speech (9)
• =14. Swiss taxes (8)
• =14. Gender equality (8)
• 16. National defence (5)
• 17. Unemployment (3)

For more information, check out the official Sotomo study.

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