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| Swiss Election Study | |
|---|---|
| Name | Swiss Election Study |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Established | 1970s |
| Jurisdiction | Swiss Confederation |
| Discipline | Political science |
| Type | Longitudinal survey and data archive |
Swiss Election Study
The Swiss Election Study is a long-running empirical project that collects survey data, electoral returns, and contextual indicators surrounding national and cantonal elections in the Swiss Confederation. It provides longitudinal datasets and analytic outputs used by researchers at institutions such as the University of Zurich, University of Geneva, ETH Zurich, University of Lausanne, and University of Bern, and is cited in comparative work alongside projects like the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems, European Social Survey, World Values Survey, and International Social Survey Programme.
The study combines pre-election and post-election surveys, party and candidate inventories, constituency-level returns, and linkage to administrative registers from bodies such as the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland, Swiss Federal Statistical Office, and numerous cantonal administrations. It has been used to examine voter behavior in contests involving the Swiss People's Party, Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, FDP.The Liberals, Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland, and smaller actors like Green Party of Switzerland and Green Liberal Party of Switzerland. Cross-national comparisons reference institutions such as the European Parliament, Bundestag, National Assembly (France), and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
Origins trace to survey initiatives in the 1970s and 1980s led by scholars at University of Bern, University of Zurich, and research centers cooperating with the Swiss National Science Foundation. The project institutionalized through collaborative networks including the International Political Science Association and comparative consortia such as the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems. Major phases correspond to electoral cycles influenced by events like the 1999 Swiss federal election, 2003 Swiss federal election, 2015 Swiss federal election, and the rise of issues linked to treaties such as the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons and referendums like the Schengen Agreement referendum. Funding and stewardship evolved through grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation and partnerships with research units at University of Geneva and ETH Zurich.
Designs employ stratified probability samples, multi-wave panel surveys, and post-stratification weights calibrated to registers from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Data collection integrates telephone interviews, online panels hosted by institutes like GfK, and face-to-face modules conducted in cantons including Zurich (canton), Geneva, Vaud, and Bern (canton). The project codes party manifestos and candidate attributes using schemes comparable to the Manifesto Project Database and adheres to standards promoted by the European Social Survey and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. Analytical techniques include logistic regression, multilevel modeling, and causal inference strategies used in studies of turnout and party choice explored in venues such as the American Political Science Review and European Journal of Political Research.
Analyses have documented the electoral mobilization of voters around issues tied to the European Union–Switzerland relations, immigration debates after high-profile initiatives like the People's Party immigration initiative, and the salience of regional cleavages in cantons such as Ticino, Valais, and Graubünden. Research highlights volatility in support for the Swiss People's Party versus the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, the strengthening of green parties after environmental mobilizations inspired by movements like Extinction Rebellion (internationally) and national campaigns, and the personalization of campaigns around prominent figures such as Christoph Blocher and Micheline Calmy-Rey. Longitudinal work reveals patterns of turnout stratified by age cohorts shaped by reforms in voter registration and changes in media consumption tied to outlets like SRF (Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen) and Le Temps.
Findings and datasets appear in journals including the Swiss Political Science Review, European Journal of Political Research, Electoral Studies, and edited volumes by publishers linked to the European Consortium for Political Research. Data distribution follows archival practices coordinated with university repositories and international archives similar to the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research and the Harvard Dataverse. Major monographs and working papers by scholars at University of Lausanne, University of Zurich, and University of Geneva document methodology, questionnaire instruments, and codebooks.
The project has influenced policy debates in cantonal parliaments such as the Cantonal Council of Zurich and advisory work for federal advisory bodies like the Federal Council of Switzerland by supplying evidence on turnout, referendum voting, and party system change. It has trained generations of political scientists who later worked at institutions including European University Institute, London School of Economics, and Columbia University. Its comparative orientation has informed cross-national studies involving the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems, the European Social Survey, and work on party competition in parliaments such as the Storting and the Dáil Éireann.