September 28 vote: Swiss back e-ID but Swiss Abroad remain cautious

If the people vote in favour of the e-ID, the electronic identity card will complement the physical card from the third quarter of 2026. Keystone / Anthony Anex

The introduction of an electronic identity (e-ID) appeals to a large majority of Swiss citizens, but the diaspora is more sceptical, according to the first SBC poll ahead of the referendum on September 28. The abolition of imputed rental value tax for homeowners also enjoys majority support.

Supporters of an electronic identity are entering the key campaigning season with a comfortable lead. The legal basis for a state-owned, optional and free e-ID seems to be on track to be accepted on September 28.

With just over a month to go before the vote, 60% of citizens support the e-ID law, while 36% are against it and 4% are still undecided, according to the first Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) poll conducted by gfs.bern.

However, the Swiss Abroad are more reserved: only 52% of expatriates are in favour of the law that provides for the introduction of an electronic identity, while 38% intend to reject it. However, 10% are still undecided.

The relative scepticism of the diaspora is surprising, given that the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad supports the project, believing that it would facilitate access to administrative services and the introduction of electronic voting. “The reserve of the Swiss Abroad may be influenced by their experience of e-ID in their host country,” says gfs.bern political scientist Martina Mousson.

The survey

For the first poll for the federal referendum on September 28, 2025, the gfs.bern institute surveyed 13,761 voters between August 4-18. The statistical margin of error is +/-2.8 percentage points.

Voting intentions among the base of political parties correspond to the party line, the poll shows. Only voters of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party clearly reject the project, while the others overwhelmingly approve of it.

Trust in government also plays an important role. “People who are suspicious of the authorities are mostly against e-ID, while those who trust it approve,” Mousson says.

The first electronic identity project submitted to the people in 2021 was rejected mainly on the grounds that it would have been managed by private providers. This is still a central point, since the argument that most convinces the electorate is that the e-ID offered today will be entirely managed by the state. This is reassuring in the face of a possible dependence on tech giants.

Opponents of the project score points above all by pointing out that access to analogue services could become more difficult, putting people who are not comfortable with digital technology at a disadvantage.

>> Read our article explaining the e-ID law:

Uncertainties around the abolition of imputed rental value

The yes to the reform of home ownership taxes also begins the campaign with a head start. The outcome of the vote seems more uncertain, however.

This reform plans to abolish the imputed rental value – a tax on the theoretical income that an owner could earn from his property if it is rented it out – while introducing a special tax on second homes. This measure is intended to compensate for tax losses in the tourism-dependent cantons, which fear a drop in their revenues.

At this stage, 58% of voters support the project put together by parliament, 33% intend to reject it and 9% don’t yet have a fixed opinion. The voting intentions of the Swiss Abroad are similar.

Unsurprisingly, the survey shows that property owners overwhelmingly approve (68%) of the abolition of a tax that they consider unfair, since it is based on a theoretical income. A relative majority of tenants are against it: 45% intend to vote no, 40% yes and 15% are undecided. “Many tenants have not yet formed an opinion, unlike landlords who are already mobilised,” Mousson says.

In the same vein, people who live in cities, who are more often renters, are also less convinced by the reform than those who live in rural areas.

On the political spectrum, supporters of the Swiss People Party, the Centre Party and the Radical-Liberals are in favour of a change of system. Although the Liberal Green Party has not weighed in either way, more than half of its supporters are in favour of it for the time being.

More surprisingly, a relative majority of supporters of the left-wing Social Democrat Party still support the project (48% yes against 44% no), while the party is clearly opposed to it.

To explain this, Mousson points out that the stage of opinion formation is still not very advanced on this complex subject, especially among the left-wing electorate. She believes that the arguments put forward during the campaign will be decisive.

The campaign will be decisive

The arguments of the supporters are more promising than those of the opponents. A large majority of those surveyed consider it unfair to have to pay taxes on what they consider to be fictitious income. On the other hand, the arguments of the no camp are hardly convincing. Their most effective argument is that only the richest would benefit from a tax break.

Mousson notes that a second opinion poll will reveal sides more clearly. “Many people are still undecided, the subject is complex, and voters expect a narrow rejection of the reform,” she notes.

gfs.bern points out that the left has recently won several votes. It could mobilise again, not least thanks to a quantitative advantage: Switzerland is a country with a majority of tenants.

>> Read the article explaining the abolition of rental values:

Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Translated from French by Anand Chandrasekhar/ts