Survey puts SRG under pressure Halving initiative well received by the people so far
Despite the clear rejection by the Federal Council and parliament, a new survey shows that a majority of the Swiss population sympathizes with the initiative to reduce radio and television fees.
12.10.2025, 03:40
12.10.2025, 07:23
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- According to a survey, 40% of respondents would currently vote in favor of the initiative to reduce radio and television fees - plus 13% who would "tend to vote yes".
- The SVP initiative wants to reduce the fee from CHF 335 to CHF 200 and exempt companies from the fee.
- The Federal Council has already made partial concessions and reduced the fee to CHF 300, but warns against a further reduction.
According to a survey, a reduction in radio and television fees has so far been well received by the Swiss electorate. Parliament and the Federal Council recommend a "no" to the halving initiative. Nevertheless, 40 percent of respondents would currently vote in favor of the proposal, according to a survey conducted by Tamedia and "20 Minuten".
A further 13 percent of respondents would say "rather yes" to the proposal. Accordingly, 32 percent of respondents are in favor of a "no" vote. 12 percent of survey participants have so far said "rather no". According to the graphic, the rest have not yet made up their minds.
The initiative launched by SVP circles aims to reduce the fees for radio and television from the current CHF 335 to CHF 200 per year. Companies should be exempt from the fee.
Much support from the conservative bloc
According to the survey, this has so far met with the greatest approval among SVP voters. The majority of FDP voters are also in favor or somewhat in favor. The majority of Green, GLP and SP voters, on the other hand, currently say no. The majority of centrist supporters are somewhat or clearly against, as the results showed.
Tamedia and "20 Minuten" said they conducted the survey on September 16 and 17 in collaboration with the Leewas Institute. Almost 15,000 people took part.
Parliament and Federal Council reject initiative
The approval of the survey participants does not coincide with the position of parliament and the national government. Parliament does not want to see a further reduction in radio and television fees. It recommended rejecting the popular initiative "200 francs is enough" without a counter-proposal. The proposal is likely to be put to the Swiss electorate in 2026. The date of the vote has not yet been set.
The Federal Council had already accommodated the initiators last year. It decided to reduce the household tax to CHF 300 per year by ordinance. Numerous companies will also be exempt from the levy.
Media Minister Albert Rösti said that the SRG's current offering in Switzerland's small regional language markets could not be financed by private providers. He argued that a centralization of SRG would be unavoidable if the initiative were to be approved. There would be a maximum of two "main centers". This was one of the main reasons for the Federal Council's rejection.
SRG is already implementing a savings program. It expects to make savings of around CHF 270 million by 2029. This corresponds to around 17 percent of the current financial framework.
