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

In light of current events, LINK conducted a representative survey of the Swiss population on the war in Ukraine from March 17 to 21, 2022. The results paint a precise picture of how the Swiss assess the current situation and what they think about various aspects, including the admission of refugees from Ukraine or possible changes in their own everyday lives. Three out of four Swiss people are following the reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine somewhat (41%) to very closely (35%). 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 closely, 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%). 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 very concerned. The possibility of Russia using chemical (85%) or nuclear weapons (79%) is a particular cause for concern in Switzerland.

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

LINK wanted to know how the Swiss rate 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 Federal Council's actions and believes that the sanctions imposed are more or less correct. Only 48% approve of the restrictions on visa facilitation for Russians - just under a quarter of respondents think these go too far, while a fifth think they do not go far enough. Many other possible 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, while a quarter believe these could go even further. The situation is very similar when it comes to freezing all the assets of high-ranking Russians in Switzerland, for example. However, a quarter are also against the withdrawal of residence permits for Russian individuals who are close to the Russian government and live in Switzerland. An increase in the Swiss defense budget as a deterrent would also be unpopular - 40 percent are against it. It is striking that older generations agree more with the possible further sanctions listed or even rate 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.