Ecological overhaul of Swiss economy faces ballot box defeat, poll finds

Swiss shopping trolleys could become suddenly emptier if the initiative was accepted, its opponents warn. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

A majority of Swiss voters both at home and abroad are set to reject the “environmental responsibility initiative” on February 9, according to a new survey.

The youth wing of the Green Party, the Young Greens, who demand rules to make the Swiss economy respect the planet’s ecological limits, is facing clear defeat as opposition to their idea picks up steam.

Less than two weeks before vote day, 61% of the electorate is now against the idea, according to the second survey by the gfs.bern research institute on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), swissinfo.ch’s parent company. The no camp has gained 12 percentage points in a month; just 37% of respondents are in favour of the idea, with 2% still undecided.

Swiss voters abroad, usually more keen on environmental reform than their Swiss-based compatriots, are also unenthused: 57% oppose the proposal, 42% back it, and 1% are undecided.

Opinions on the initiative are divided along classic lines for such environmental themes, gfs.bern says. Voters close to the Green Party, the left-wing Social Democrats and the centrist Liberal Greens back the idea, while those from all other parties reject it.

A certain schism is seen within the Liberal Greens: while grassroots voters are leaning towards supporting the initiative, the official party line is to vote no.

Polling details

For the second survey in the run-up to the federal votes on February 9, 2025, gfs.bern polled 15,996 voters between January 15 and 23. The statistical margin of error is +/-2.8 percentage points.

Beyond left-wing and environmental circles, the only population segment in favour of the idea is the lowest-income one – people earning under CHF3,000 ($3,316) per month.

Earlier in the campaign, a majority of women backed the proposal, but this has also since changed – even if the initiative “still sparks more support among young women”, according to gfs.bern political analyst Martina Mousson.

Good question, bad answer

The survey nevertheless shows that a majority of voters agrees with the initiative’s general goal. Some 60% of those polled say natural resources should be conserved in order not to threaten the foundations of life on the planet.

But the proposed solution is not a popular one, with a majority of respondents fearing higher prices and a cost-of-living increase. This contradicts the stated aim of the Young Greens to find measures which are socially acceptable.

In short, the gfs.bern analysts write, “the underlying problem raised by the initiative is widely recognised, but it is not seen as proposing the right answer”.

Limited media interest

Whereas voting days in Switzerland – which come around up to four times annually – usually involve several issues put to the ballot, the environmental responsibility initiative is the only one to be decided on February 9. This hasn’t seemed to help: up to now, it has enjoyed the least media attention of all people’s initiatives since 2018, according to the University of Zurich. And when it did get in the news, the tone was often negative.

Edited by Samuel Jaberg; translated from French by Domhnall O’Sullivan