If you are a foreign national living in Switzerland, chances are you have an opinion, based on your own experience, about whether the locals like or dislike people who come from abroad — or, like their country, are neutral about the whole subject of immigration.
One way to "measure" how the Swiss feel about foreigners who settle in their country is through observational and anecdotal evidence available to us.
(And we are referring strictly to ‘regular’ immigration — that is, people who have work / residency permits, rather than undocumented migrants or asylum seekers).
First, the numbers
There are currently about 2.4 million foreign nationals living in Switzerland, though this figure is not static — it fluctuates from month to month, as new people arrive and others leave the country; generally speaking, however, the trend is upward.
This means that approximately 26 percent of the country’s population is foreign.
Out of that number, the majority (1.5 million people) are nationals of a EU state — predominantly from Italy, Germany, and France.
The rest come from non-EU or EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) nations, as well as from other third countries like Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Turkey, as well as Asia and North America.
Anti-immigrant initiatives
There have been a number of proposals put forth by the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) to limit immigration.
The foremost among them is the the ‘No to Switzerland of 10 million people’ initiative, which calls for the Federal Council and parliament to stop the influx of foreigners when the permanent resident population exceeds 9.5 million (it currently stands at just over 9 million).
READ ALSO: What Switzerland's new vote to limit immigration could mean
Another recent idea instigated by the SVP deputies includes an ‘immigration tax’ of at least 5,000 francs that foreigners should pay if they want to settle in Switzerland.
Such moves naturally worry foreign residents, who see them as a sure sign that they are not welcome in Switzerland.
‘Rude and aggressive behaviour’
In October, The Local asked its readers to react to these anti-immigrant proposals.
Not surprisingly, over two-thirds of respondents (67.4 percent) expressed concerns about these moves, with 48.9 percent identifying as "concerned" and 17 percent as "extremely worried."
One Finnish respondent in Thalwil stated, “It’s worrying because I have seen rude and aggressive behaviour against people whose only 'crime' was to look non-Swiss.”
Charles, who lives in Zug, noted that rising anti-migrant sentiment is “making daily life more miserable.”
This article includes more feedback on this subject:
READ ALSO: Foreigners in Switzerland troubled by rise in hostility
But does all of this really mean that the Swiss dislike foreigners?
To be fair, all these proposals and initiatives are very one-sided; that is, they represent the views of right-wing and populist factions, and therefore are not exactly unbiased.
On the opposite side of the argument, the government, more moderate politicians, as well as economists all recognise (unlike the SVP) that immigrants are essential for Switzerland’s economy.
According to Ensar Can, an assistant at the Research Unit for Labour Economics and Industrial Organisation at the University of Basel, “foreign workers have become an inseparable part of Switzerland’s economy.”
It is widely recognised that “there is a shortage of skilled labour in certain sectors of the economy. As a result, specialists in various fields have to be recruited from abroad,” he said.
This is what research shows
One study, ‘Opportunities Barometer 2024’ provides some answers to this question.
It shows that while most people in Switzerland (74 percent in rural areas and 63 percent in cities) are concerned about the impact of the growing population on Switzerland’s infrastructure, 61 percent of respondents rejected a blanket ban on immigration.
Furthermore, 75 percent said that the bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU are important to maintain.
Also, many of the SVP-instigated referendums seeking to limit immigration were turned down by Swiss voters in the past.
For instance, in September 2020, nearly 62 percent of voters rebuffed the SVP’s attempt to curb immigration from the EU, seeing such a move as detrimental to Switzerland’s economic prosperity.
Some indication of these attitudes also comes from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), and particularly its survey on diversity and coexistence.
It shows, for instance, that 21.5 percent of Swiss people believe foreigners should have access to the same political rights as citizens of Switzerland; 31.4 percent say foreigners born in Switzerland should get automatic citizenship rights; and 30.3 percent feel that foreigners who have lived here at least five years should be able to bring their families to Switzerland.
Others, however, are more wary of immigrants
A poll conducted for Le Temps newspaper in 2023, showed that 41 percent of respondents perceived the migration situation in Switzerland as very concerning (which also means 59 percent weren't.)
Older people in particular (55 years and over), as well as residents of German-speaking regions were more worried about the influx of foreigners than those between 18 and 34, and people from French speaking part of the country.
Overall, 66 percent stated that migration will influence their voting decisions (though it is not clear whether the influence would necessarily be negative, as referendum results show).
So to get at the answer on whether the Swiss really do dislike foreigners, we need a balanced look, and not just to listen to the political right, which likes to dominate the discourse, but doesn’t represent the majority.
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