Switzerland is becoming more politically polarised. The latest SRG election barometer shows support rising for parties on the left and right as the centre shrinks. It also reveals marked differences between men and women.
The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) would win 29.9% of the vote if an election were held now, up two percentage points from its 2023 election result. At the opposite pole, the Socialist Party (SP) and the Greens form a closely aligned left-wing bloc. The SP is polling at 19.3%, up one point, and the Greens at 10.3%, up half a point. Support for parties in the centre, meanwhile, has fallen from 38% to 35%.
The two main parties on the left are close allies, with strong support for co-operation among their voters: 98% of Green voters favour working with the Socialist Party, and 97% of Socialist voters favour working with the Greens.
Views of the Federal Council, Switzerland’s government, reveal a similar divide. More than a third of respondents consider it too right-wing, and more than a third too left-wing. Only 27% think it strikes the right political balance—the lowest share since 2019. In autumn 2021, during the coronavirus pandemic, that figure was 45%.
Men and women also differ in their voting intentions. Left-wing parties attract 35% of women, compared with 23% of men. Right-wing parties command the support of half of men, against 37% of women. Centre parties draw similar support from both sexes.
The gap is particularly pronounced among voters under 35. Support for the Socialist Party is 14 percentage points higher among women than men; support for the SVP is 11 points higher among men than women. The FDP also attracts substantially more young men than young women.
Political priorities differ, too. Climate change ranks among the country’s main challenges for 40% of women, compared with 31% of men.
This growing polarisation risks straining Switzerland’s political system, which relies heavily on consensus and compromise.
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