Torn Between International Cooperation and National Sovereignty: Voter Attitudes in Trade‐off Situations in Switzerland

Abstract

This research note examines voter preferences in Swiss‐EU relations. We identify large shares of cross‐pressured voters, i.e., citizens who support the bilateral treaties but wish to either control immigration into Switzerland or oppose a liberalization of social protection measures on the job market. Voters experiencing a trade‐off between immigration control and international cooperation are mainly located on the Right. Their share decreased between 2015 and 2019, whereas the share of neutral voters sharply increased. Moreover, negotiations about an Institutional Framework Agreement between Switzerland and the EU have given rise to a new trade‐off – namely between social protection and international cooperation – with cross‐pressured voters mainly concentrated on the Left. This tension has generated a high share of undecided voters. When pressured to decide on these trade‐offs, cross‐pressured and neutral voters opt for the bilateral treaties over immigration control, whereas they prefer social protection over the new agreement. Partisanship is a strong predictor of these choices.

Introduction to the Special Issue “The 2019 Swiss National Elections”

“…A second group of papers in this Special Issue addresses two other issue areas that have been decisive in earlier campaigns and continue to structure the political conflict in Switzerland: immigration and international integration. Lauener, Emmenegger, Häusermann and Walter (2022) investigate two specific groups of cross‐pressured voters: On the left, they argue, voters are generally open to further European integration but worry about the downgrading of labor protection standards that might come as a consequence of the free movement of persons. On the right, voters are cross‐pressured because they support financial and economic integration but are more skeptical about the cultural consequences of immigration.…”

Citizens’ response to a non-responsive government: the case of the Swiss Initiative on Mass Immigration

“…The Swiss anti-immigration vote is a case of a high-stakes decision that mobilized a large number of voters and involved potentially major economic consequences for citizens, in the context of clear cues by political elites, an abundance of uncontroversial information in the public domain, a relatively high level of policy-specific knowledge, and citizens' direct participation through the means of a popular vote (Milic 2015;Sciarini et al 2015). As almost a fifth of Swiss citizens are cross-pressured on the policy issue, i.e., they would like to limit immigration but also continue economic openness through the Bilateral Treaties, they are potentially in need of further information and arguments for their decision-making (Lauener et al 2022). In addition, the vote took place in a country with one of the highest GDP per capita, a stable political system highly trusted by citizens, an excellent system of public education and professional mass media, with a citizenry experienced in taking frequently far-reaching political decisions by referendum for more than 150 years.…”