Swiss votes reveal gender divide

November vote reveals gender divide Keystone-SDA

A majority of women rejected all four voting proposals on November 24 – in contrast to men. This is the conclusion of a Vox analysis.

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The difference in voting behaviour between the genders was particularly clear among people under the age of 30, according to a press release on Friday on the Vox analysis of the post-election survey.

For example, 57% of men were in favour of the proposal to expand the motorway network. In contrast, only 38% of women were in favour. Two-thirds of men voted in favour of the health bill, compared to only 46% of women.

+ November 24, 2024 votes: the results from across Switzerland

The analysis also showed that people in the political centre were significantly less mobilised than other voters. The Greens were the most mobilised with 71%. They were followed by Radical-Liberal Party supporters (56%). Social Democratic Party sympathisers also went to the polls at an above-average rate of 52%, according to the report.

For the other parties, the proportion was below 50%. The lowest turnout of 44% was among Swiss People’s Party supporters.

+ Seven lessons from the November 2024 Swiss referendums

A third forgot to vote

The reasons for the rejection of three of the four government proposals were complex. Overall, the voters had made their decisions based on content. The turnout was 45%, which is average in a long-term comparison. Around a third of those surveyed stated that they had forgotten about the vote.

On November 24, 2024, the electorate voted on the motorway expansion, a healthcare bill (uniform funding for outpatient and inpatient care) and two tenancy laws on subletting and owner-occupation. They were put to the people following a successful referendum.

For the Vox analysis, 3,113 voters were surveyed in November 2024. The study was conducted by the JRC Bern research institute and financed by the Federal Chancellery.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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