Study by Link: This is how Switzerland thinks about the Ukraine conflict

To mark the current occasion, LINK conducted a representative survey among the Swiss population on the war in Ukraine from March 17 to 21, 2022. The results paint an accurate picture of how Swiss people assess the current situation and what they think about various aspects, including the acceptance of refugees from Ukraine or possible changes in their own everyday lives. Three out of four Swiss* follow the coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine somewhat (41 percent) to very intensively (35 percent). The older the generation, the more closely they follow the news on the topic - while just under a quarter of 15-29 year-olds follow the coverage intensively, the figure is over half for 60-79 year-olds. At the same time, the youngest generation surveyed is the most confident that the Russian attack on Ukraine will have little or no negative impact on their personal financial situation (44 percent). The older generations are significantly less optimistic in this regard. However, a majority of every age group is concerned about the current situation between Ukraine and Russia, and half of the population is even very concerned. In particular, the possibility of Russia using chemical weapons (85 percent) or nuclear weapons (79 percent) raises concern in Switzerland.

Swiss population supports sanctions against Russia and is in favor of possible further ones

LINK wanted to know how Swiss people view the Federal Council's currently implemented sanctions against Russia, among others, and what they think about possible further sanctions. In general, a majority of the population agrees with the actions of the Federal Council and thinks that the sanctions imposed are about right. Only 48 percent approve of the restrictions on visa facilitation for Russians - just under a quarter of respondents think they go too far, while a fifth think they do not go far enough. Many possible further sanctions against Russia are supported by the Swiss population. For example, more than half of them would be in favor of export controls on high-tech products and software to Russia, and for a quarter these could go even further. The situation is very similar, for example, with regard to the freezing of all assets held in Switzerland by high-ranking Russians. However, a quarter are also against revoking the residence permit of Russian persons who are close to the Russian government and live in Switzerland. Also unpopular would be an increase in the Swiss defense budget as a deterrent - 40 percent oppose this. It is striking that older generations agree more with the possible further sanctions listed or even classify them as not strong enough than the youngest generation surveyed (15-29 years).

Swiss support measures to help Ukrainian refugees - older ones more than young ones

More than 3.5 million people have already been forced to flee, and 12,000 Ukrainians have been registered in Switzerland so far (as of March 22, 2022). Against this backdrop, it is important to know how the Swiss population views various measures to support refugees from Ukraine. Seventy-one percent favor a Swiss program to resettle some Ukrainian refugees who fled the Russian invasion here. Of these supporters, most (46 percent) would accept a few tens of thousands of people into Switzerland. In general, a clear majority (78 percent) of the population believes that Switzerland has a moral obligation to grant asylum to people who have fled Ukraine.