Elections 2023 Study: Immigration and concerns about purchasing power were election arguments

Concerns about immigration and the ebbing of the green wave of 2019 provided the SVP and SP with gains in the 2023 federal elections. The SVP was also able to mobilize well, while the SP benefited from debates about purchasing power and health insurance premiums.

These are the findings of the study presented in Bern on Thursday from the Selects election research project, which was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and conducted by the Swiss Center of Expertise in the Social Sciences Fors in Lausanne.

The SVP succeeded in mobilizing its core voters following losses in 2019, according to the press release accompanying the study. The SVP also took votes away from the FDP. The SP benefited from the fact that the Greens and the GLP also struggled to retain their voters.

Around a quarter of former Green voters voted for the SP in 2023. GLP votes in turn went to the SP, the FDP and the center party. Overall, however, the FDP was unable to halt its downward trend. It was squeezed by the SVP and also by the center.