Swiss government in-line with Swiss population, study shows

A study shows that contrary to popular belief, Swiss citizens are not being ignored in government politics. © Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

How well do the politicians in the Swiss federal government represent the population? A new database from the Institute for Swiss Economic Policy examines Parliament's proximity to citizens.

A study shows that contrary to popular belief, Swiss citizens are not being ignored, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) writes. Analysing data taken from an interactive tool from the Institute for Swiss Economic Policy (IWP) at the University of Lucerne, the Parlameter (from “parliament” and “meter”) provides new insights into the question of how politicians in Switzerland represent the population.

Its design is reminiscent of the Smartvote platform, but the tool is not based on user questionnaires, but rather on the user casts a vote in 18 federal referendums from the last two legislative periods. The Parlameter then shows the user how their voting behaviour corresponds to that of the members of parliament and parties. As the IWP puts it, the results show decisions on factual issues instead of on election promises.

With 66.5% and 74.9% agreement respectively, the House of Representatives and the Senate are often in line with the majority of the population. A look at the past seven legislatures also contradicts the idea that the Swiss parliament and the electorate have drifted apart. The level of agreement on issues that go to the ballot box has fluctuated constantly between 60% and 72% since 1995.

Overall, Parliament represents the attitude of the male majority of the people slightly better than that of the female majority (67.9% and 63.5% respectively). However, for other parameters the difference is more significant. For example, there are greater differences between the cantons than between the genders, says project manager Marco Portmann to NZZ.

The age and gender of population groups hardly play the role that they are given in identity policy debates. “If you look at who represents the opinion of young voters, some long-standing parliamentarians and older men appear at the top,” says Portmann.

Wealthy citizens are better represented

However, the tool does shows that high-income earners have their opinions better represented across government – from left to right across party lines, says the NZZ. According to Portmann, this phenomenon can also be observed in other countries. Research shows that wealthy people tend to be better informed and exercise their political rights more often. “In addition, people with higher incomes often have interests with a better lobby.”

The parliament also partially dispels common clichés. For example, the image of the Social Democratic Party or the Swiss People’s Party as a party for low earners. Across all referendums in the last two legislatures, the Evangelical People’s Party of Switzerland or even the Radical-Liberals International represented the opinions of people with low incomes better than the two pole parties. Portmann says to the NZZ: “Not every low-income person automatically ticks left or right.” Among the parliamentarians who represent the population with monthly incomes over CHF9,000 ($10,029) there were only middle-class representatives in the top ten.

The Parlameter is a data-based, “playful” tool for those interested in politics. However, Portmann does not want to see this as competition to Smartvote, rather as an addition. The IWP’s “Election Help” is based on just 18 referendums – conveying a less complex picture than Smartvote, which covers 30 or 75 prompts, writes the NZZ.

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