Non-believers significantly underrepresented in Swiss parliament
Non-religious people strongly underrepresented in the Federal Assembly
Keystone-SDA
While people with no religious affiliation make up the largest group in the Swiss population at around 34%, they rank only third in parliament with just 23%.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Deutsch
de
Religionslose in der Bundesversammlung stark untervertreten
Original
The largest group in parliament is represented by Roman Catholics, who make up around 40%, followed by the Protestant Reformed, who account for about 32%. This is according to a study by the University of Bern’s institute of political science. The Tages-Anzeiger newspaper was the first to report this on Wednesday.
More
More
Swiss parliament: who is entitled to be represented?
This content was published on
The new House of Representatives is older and more male. What does this mean for all those who are underrepresented in politics?
In the Senate, Catholics make up about 56%, giving them a majority, while 21% are Protestant Evangelical Reformed and just 14% are non-religious. In the House of Representatives, around 37% identify as Roman Catholic, and about 25% consider themselves non-religious.
Muslims are also significantly underrepresented. While nearly 6% of the population identify with this faith, only around 1% of parliamentarians do.
Translated from German by DeepL/sp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Climate change
Switzerland turns train tracks into solar power plants
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
SWISS cancels flight to Tel Aviv following missile attack near Ben Gurion airport
This content was published on
After a missile landed near Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) cancelled its flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv on Sunday.
Swiss foreign minister rejects mandatory referendum for EU deals
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis defended the government’s decision to make EU deals subject to an optional rather than a mandatory referendum.
Pro-choice and anti-abortion activists face off in Geneva
This content was published on
Anti-abortion Christian groups held a silent prayer in front of the Geneva train station on Saturday, to the whistles and shouts of pro-choice demonstrators.
Swiss army soldier seriously injured in accident on Simplon Pass
This content was published on
A member of the Swiss army was seriously injured on Friday while manoeuvring a self-propelled howitzer on the Simplon Pass.
Basel attempts world‘s largest over-60s disco before Eurovision Song Contest
This content was published on
It was billed as a world record attempt for the biggest over-60s disco of all time. But most visitors came to Basel to have fun.
Basel prepares 700 volunteers for the Eurovision Song Contest
This content was published on
Around 320 people took part in one of the two official information events for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel on Friday.
More Swiss soldiers involved in accidents during training in Austria
This content was published on
The Swiss army has reported various accidents involving Swiss soldiers during the exercise “TRIAS 25” in Austria. Some have led to hospitalisations.
Swiss court rules vegan meat substitutes can’t use animal names
This content was published on
Vegan meat substitutes may not bear animal names such as “planted.chicken” according to a ruling by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.