Dip in political fervour reported among Swiss youth

A climate demonstration in Zurich, March 2022. © Keystone / Ennio Leanza

While a preoccupation with climate change remains, young people in Switzerland are becoming less keen to place their hopes in big street protests, a survey has found.

Data from the gfs.bern research institute published on Wednesday show that in 2022, the number of 15-25-year-olds who say politicians should take such movements seriously dropped from 72% to 62%. The number of youths who say they don’t see the point of joining such movements meanwhile rose from 18% to 29%; while those who think protests are the only way to effect change has dropped from 52% to 36%.

The authors of the study, commissioned by youth participation organisation Easyvote, said the results seem to show an ebbing of the political enthusiasm sparked in recent years by the climate movement, the women’s strike, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is also seen in the increased reluctance of 15-25-year-olds to get involved politically in future: just 40% say they want to get politically active in the near future, while the number who rule out political engagement completely has doubled since 2017, to 28%.

That said, there is still appetite for traditional political methods, notably voting: 86% of those surveyed, and who have voting rights (over-18s in Switzerland), say they are keen to vote in the next votes or elections in Switzerland. While this is the highest value since the survey began seven years ago, it remains to be seen if people will actually go to the ballot box; average turnout in Switzerland is consistently below 50%.

As for the issues which worry young people, climate change tops the list, above racism and discrimination and foreign policy. Unemployment and old-age pensions – big concerns for the rest of the population – are the least important for this group.