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During the votes on February 13, the Swiss voted clearly for health. On the other hand, they said no to financial largesse, be it support for the media or the abolition of stamp duty, according to the Vox analysis published on Saturday.
The acceptance of the initiative to ban tobacco is a clear sign of the desire to protect the health of young people, writes the gfs.bern institute in its Vox analysis. With this yes, the Swiss have also accepted the negative consequences such as the reduction of sponsor funds for events.
Relatively young people, those with a high level of education and the middle class mostly accepted the text. The initiative also received a lot of support from the left and center of the political spectrum. On the other hand, the sympathizers of the PLR and the UDC were in majority once morest, betting on individual responsibility and free competition.
Experimentation: marginal support
The rejection of the initiative to ban animal experimentation follows the same logic. The Swiss did not want the quality of medical care to be lowered or for Swiss scientific research to be jeopardized.
This initiative did not manage to gather a majority, neither among young and old, nor among people on the left or right, nor even among those who trust animal protection organizations. For the yes minority (21%), the objective was to strengthen animal protection.
Distribution of money questionable
The two no’s once morest the stamp duty and the package of measures in favor of the media crystallized around a distribution of the money deemed unfair, according to gfs.bern.
The Swiss saw no reason why companies should be exempt from paying stamp duty. They feared a deferral on their taxes.
As for the media package, they did not want to spend more tax money on an already subsidized sector. They followed the argument of the referendum committee that additional support would have led to greater dependence on the media, damaged their credibility and distorted the market.
Media: sharp cleavage
Clear differences emerged between the yes and no camps: people aged 18 to 29, people on the left, supporters of the Greens, the PS, the PVL and the Center as well as people who trust the SSR, local media and journalists overwhelmingly accepted the law.
On the other hand, older people, supporters of the UDC and the PLR as well as people with little confidence in the media voted once morest the law.
It is the question of whether greater subsidies make the media dependent on the state that has most polarized the electorate. The majority decided to bet on the market economy to guarantee that the media are not dependent on the state and that they maintain their credibility.
Low turnout
With 44%, the participation on February 13 was reduced compared to the 65.7% reached in November 2021. But that day, subjects such as the Covid-19 law had mobilized a lot.
The Vox analysis is carried out by the gfs.bern institute on behalf of the Federal Chancellery. This survey was conducted among 3168 citizens online and on paper questionnaire.