A hot summer has shifted attitudes towards cooling. Swiss voters also favour stronger protections for workers and pupils when temperatures soar.
Air conditioning remains uncommon in Switzerland. Only about one household in ten has it. But that may be changing.
A survey by Leewas for 20 Minuten and Tamedia, conducted after the hot summer of 2026, found that 67% of respondents favoured wider installation of air-conditioning systems. Support for public subsidies, however, was much weaker: 67% opposed state funding for air conditioners in private homes.
Men were more enthusiastic about air conditioning than women: 71% supported wider installation, compared with 63% of women. That is despite women reporting greater physical and health effects from the summer heat. Almost half of women said the heat had affected their health.
Political affiliation also mattered. Support for more air conditioning commanded a majority among supporters of every major party except the Greens. It was strongest among sympathisers of the liberal PLR/FDP and the right-wing UDC/SVP, at 77% in each group. Income produced an equally clear divide. Among respondents earning less than CHF 4,000 a month, 63% favoured more air conditioning. Among those earning more than CHF 16,000, support rose to 80%.
Loosening the rules
In many cantons, installing a split air-conditioning system requires planning permission. Some 69% of respondents favoured relaxing those rules. Support was even stronger for cooling public buildings. Fully 91% wanted schools, hospitals and care homes across the country to be equipped with air conditioning.
The timing of the survey is worth bearing in mind. Polling conducted after an unusually hot summer is likely to capture heightened concern about heat, and enthusiasm for cooling may fade as temperatures fall.
Yet respondents drew a firm line at public subsidies for private systems. Only a minority supported them. UDC/SVP voters were the most favourable, with 44% backing state assistance. Support was lower among voters of the Centre Party, PLR/FDP, Socialists and Greens, and lowest among Green Liberal supporters, at 16%.
Too hot to work
Air conditioning was not the only response to extreme heat to attract support. During the summer, construction workers in parts of Switzerland laboured in searing temperatures. The Unia trade union called for outdoor work to stop once the temperature reached 33°C, arguing that such heat posed an immediate health risk.
The public broadly agreed. Some 81% of respondents supported exempting construction workers from outdoor work above 33°C.
Women were markedly more supportive than men, even though construction remains a male-dominated industry. Among women, 89% backed the proposal, compared with 72% of men. Party differences were sizeable. Support reached 93% among Socialist Party sympathisers and was lowest among PLR/FDP supporters, though even there 70% approved.
Too hot to learn
Classrooms were another source of concern. Temperatures in some schools rose above 30°C during the summer, conditions in which concentration and productivity are likely to suffer. The Swiss teachers’ umbrella organisation, LCH, has called for a maximum classroom temperature of 26°C and for schools to adopt binding heat plans. Above that threshold, schools would be expected to take measures such as moving lessons to cooler rooms or changing timetables. Above 30°C, teaching would be restricted further.
The public was more divided on this proposal than on protections for construction workers. Some 52% supported exempting pupils from regular lessons when temperatures exceeded 26°C.
The gender gap was again substantial. Among women, 57% favoured the measure; among men, only 44% did. The political split was sharper still. Supporters of the Greens and Socialists tended to favour heat-related exemptions for pupils, whereas sympathisers of the Centre Party, Green Liberals, FDP and SVP tended to oppose them.
Switzerland has traditionally been wary of air conditioning. The summer of 2026 suggests that this may be changing. Voters appear increasingly willing to adapt buildings, workplaces and schools to extreme heat—even if they remain reluctant to subsidise private comfort.
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and X.