US tariffs: most Swiss rule out making future concessions, survey reveals

Swiss residents are against the idea of making concessions to the US in the current tariff dispute, according to survey. Keystone-SDA

According to a survey published on Wednesday, most Swiss residents are against offering concessions to the United States in the current tariff dispute. This is despite the fact that the 39% tariff recently imposed by the US on most Swiss goods will likely damage the Swiss economy, the study shows.

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Almost two-thirds of respondents in a recent survey believe that Switzerland should not allow itself to be put under pressure – even if this means an import tariff rate of 39%. This is one of the main conclusions of a survey carried out by the research institute Yougov published on Wednesday. Only a quarter of respondents were in favour of concessions to avert import tariffs.

According to the study, two-thirds of Swiss respondents nonetheless expect the new tariffs to significantly damage the economy. Only 5% believe the Swiss economy will suffer little or no damage as a result.

Half of those surveyed also believe that Switzerland should focus more on its own products in future, even though this could lead to higher prices in Switzerland. The study also found that 41% of respondents were against Swiss companies making major investments in the US, while only 15% were in favour.

Political camps are largely in agreement

According to the research institute, there is a broad consensus across the political spectrum on how Switzerland should react to the 39% import tariff recently imposed by the US.

One exception was on whether the Swiss government should cooperate more closely with the European Union due to the current situation. According to Yougov, supporters of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party were clearly against this idea. Overall, however, over half of the survey participants were in favour of greater cooperation.

A total of 1,260 people in Switzerland took part in the survey that was conducted from August 5-11.

Adapted from German by DeepL/sb

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