Switzerland in facts and figures

We have the analyses that make the latest survey results accessible to you. After all, the world is not made up of zeroes and ones. We also provide background information and rankings to help you make sense of survey results. Switzerland in facts and figures. Would you like to take part in gfs.bern surveys? Sign up to our online panel now.

27.05.2020 | News

Martina Mousson on what remains of Swiss democracy after Covid-19 measures

Martina Mousson

What does the pandemic mean for our society and Swiss democracy? "The political system has been massively affected," says Martina Mousson, explaining how Corona affects voting, campaigns and the government's scope of action.

01.10.2019 | News

What conditions are conducive to successful political campaigns?

Urs Bieri

Political campaigns are often under-analysed. This is a wasted opportunity on part of the political players.

01.10.2019 | News

The new politicisation of the young

Cloé Jans

Youth culture has been an apolitical sphere for several generations, but Gen Z have been hitting the streets again. What happened? Are our young people becoming politicised?

22.07.2019 | News

Organisation and expansion of the gfs.bern Executive Board

18.06.2019 | News

Vote on STAF: the return of the compromise?

Claude Longchamp

Less than seven hours after voting closed in the Swiss federal elections on 19 May 2019, the gfs.bern research institute produced the first post-referendum analysis using a survey as a basis. The SRF current affairs show Tagesschau covered the study. Following the STAF survey, we are investigating the future of the OASI system.

18.06.2019 | News

Tax and OASI proposal: giving the official position the benefit of the doubt

Lukas Golder

The tax and OASI package combines two unrelated proposals; some consider this approach to be undemocratic. But a majority prioritised the urgent need for reform. The two main arguments in favour of the proposal revolved around securing the attractiveness of Switzerland as a business location and ensuring pension security.

18.06.2019 | News

FDP survey on environmental and climate policy – good response rate

Urs Bieri

The Swiss FDP hired gfs.bern to carry out a broad base survey. The objective of the FDP survey: to find out what its own members think about environmental and climate policy.

18.06.2019 | News

Climate survey: a resounding ‘yes’ for sustainability

Claude Longchamp

According to the latest climate survey, 70% of young people between the ages of 15 and 25 in German-speaking Switzerland approve or strongly approve of other young people taking to the streets to demonstrate for a change in climate policies. 47% view the Swedish strike activist Greta Thunberg as a role model.

16.06.2019 | News

Better than their reputation: poll projections for federal elections with and without surveys

Claude Longchamp

Equating projections with elections is a fool’s errand. An overview for fools, their admirers and their critics.

15.05.2019 | News

Weapons Act: organisational skills do not equal a successful referendum

Lukas Golder

Initially, the organisational skills exhibited by gun supporters in the campaign surrounding Swiss firearms legislation seemed impressive. Supported by the SVP, they collected more than enough signatures for a referendum on the Weapons Act within just a few months and were extremely active in the online debate.

07.03.2018 | News

Topic modelling as a strategic campaigning tool

Topic modelling is a qualitative and quantitative method of identifying structures in texts. It is an increasingly common part of the campaign monitoring process. The applicability of topic modelling exemplified by the third corporate tax reform. Test