Swiss youth are becoming more radicalised, says survey

Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

More young people in Switzerland between the age of 15 and 25 are adopting intolerant views, according to a survey.

According to the findings of the survey, conducted by researchers at Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the University of Fribourg, 26% of respondents could be considered xenophobic, 15% homophobic, 10% Islamophobic and 8% anti-Semitic.

The proportions are particularly high among the under-17s, as reported by Le Matin Dimanche and the SonntagsZeitung papers on Sunday. But it is above all the increase that is striking, with rates rising from 49% to 66% in all categories in two years.

“The pandemic [of Covid-19] and the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 [in Israel] have led to a marked increase in radical positions,” said the study leader Dirk Baier.

A total of 1,600 15–25-year-olds took part in the survey carried out in May and June.

Adapted from French by DeepL/ac

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