Votes: Polls show clear majorities in favor of tobacco advertising ban
If the initiative to ban tobacco advertising had been put to the vote on December 25 or at the beginning of the new year, a clear majority would have approved the bill. This is shown by the first polls. A close race is emerging for the media package.
Both SRG and the media company Tamedia published the first polls on the votes on February 13 on Friday.
In the survey conducted by the GFS Bern research institute on behalf of SRG, 73 percent of respondents said they were definitely or rather in favor of the popular initiative "Yes to protecting children and adolescents from tobacco advertising". 25 percent were against the initiative, 2 percent were undecided.
The picture is somewhat less clear in the survey by Tamedia and 20 minutes. Here, 67 percent of respondents favored a ban on tobacco advertising, 31 expressed opposition, and 2 percent did not specify.
In the SRG survey, the Yes and No camps each came to 48 percent for the media package, with 4 percent undecided. In contrast, the Tamedia poll showed a No majority of 51 percent. 42 were in favor of the proposal, while 7 percent indicated no intention to vote.
Unclear picture on stamp duty abolition
The survey results also differ significantly on the abolition of stamp duty. The survey by Tamedia and 20 minutes sees the No camp ahead by 55 to 30 percent, with 15 percent undecided.
In the SRG survey, the opposing side also has a lead, but it is considerably smaller. According to the poll, 49 percent would have voted against the amendment on Christmas Day, 42 percent in favor. 9 percent of those willing to participate had not yet formed an opinion.
It is true that both polls see the No camp with the initiative for a ban on animal experiments in the advantage. Here too, however, there are differences in the clarity of the picture. In the SRG poll, 48 percent were against the initiative, 45 percent in favor. The proportion of undecideds is 7 percent. The Tamedia survey, on the other hand, puts the No share at 61 percent, with 34 percent in favor. Five percent said they were undecided, according to the survey.
Broad support for tobacco advertising ban
The initiative for a ban on tobacco advertising has a majority among supporters of all major parties. And the majority of non-party supporters are also in favor, writes the GFS Bern Institute in its explanatory notes to the SRG survey. The highest percentage of "yes" voters, 90 percent, was among the Green Party, while the lowest percentage, 57 percent, was among the SVP.
The authors of the study on the Tamedia survey also find that the proposal actually has comfortable majorities everywhere. However, the sympathizers of the FDP and SVP were an exception. According to the study, the majority of the Free Democrats (52 percent) are against a ban on tobacco advertising, while among SVP supporters, the Yes and No camps are evenly matched at 49 percent each.
Left-right polarization in the media package
Majorities for the package of measures in favor of the media are seen in both surveys among the supporters of the SP, the Greens and the GLP. The majority of FDP and SVP supporters, on the other hand, would have rejected the media package. According to the SRG survey conducted around two weeks ago, just 17 percent of the SVP's base wanted to vote yes, while the Tamedia survey puts support at just 13 percent.
The authors of both studies point to regional language differences: In French-speaking Switzerland, the media package finds a majority, while Ticino and German-speaking Switzerland are skeptical.
Ideological divide on stamp duty abolition
The SRG poll shows absolute majorities in favor of abolishing stamp duty among the supporters of the FDP with 62 percent and the center with 57 percent. The Greens and the SP, on the other hand, are clearly dominated by the "no" vote, with 67 percent and 64 percent respectively.
Outside the conservative party electorate, only those willing to participate from households with the highest incomes are in favor of abolishing the tax, the study continues.
The survey of Tamedia and 20 minutes basically sees a polarization along the left-right spectrum - however, the "yes" share of the FDP is significantly lower at 49 percent, while the opposing side is clearly ahead in the center with 57 percent "no" to 30 percent "yes".
Women more often in favor of banning animal testing than men
The gender divide is currently "extraordinarily pronounced" in the initiative for a ban on animal experiments, according to the research institute GFS Bern. According to the SRG survey, 60 percent of women want to vote yes, while only 33 percent of men do.
The Tamedia survey also reveals differences between the sexes - but much less clearly. In addition, support for the ban on animal experiments is lower overall. According to the study, 45 percent of the women surveyed said yes, while 24 percent of the men said yes. According to the study, 72 percent of men and 50 percent of women were against the referendum.
In both surveys, the issue tends to find more support on the left side of the political spectrum. Apart from the Green Party, neither of them sees a majority in favor of it among any party.
For the first wave of the SRG trend survey, GFS Bern interviewed a total of 10,083 eligible voters between December 17, 2021 and January 3, 2022. The statistical error range is +/-2.8 percentage points.
The online survey for Tamedia and 20 minutes was conducted on January 3 and 4. The results are based on the responses of 13,120 people. The responses were weighted by the company Leewas according to demographic, geographic and political variables in such a way that a representative picture emerges. The sampling error is +/- 1.5 percentage points. (SDA)
