“We don’t all have to like each other, but we should tolerate different opinions.”

Switzerland experienced a shift to the right in October: the Swiss People’s Party emerged as the big winner in the elections for the National Council. This is causing dissatisfaction among progressive Swiss. The fronts seem to have hardened – even online or at the regular table it seems as if the country is deeply divided.

The tone in the discussion culture is becoming increasingly harsh: the right accuses the left of being ideologically blind, the left calls the right neo-fascists. Or maybe not?

Ivo Scherrer is a political economist and works for the think tank Pro Futuris. He helped develop the ‘Let’s talk’ dialogue format. The goal is for people with different opinions to talk to each other. He says many people would be interested in exchanging ideas with people who think differently, yet remain decent and well-mannered.

According to various studies, affective polarization in Switzerland is very high compared to other countries. Why?
Ivo Scherrer: The voting population has become ideologically polarized over the past thirty years. This means that it has increasingly turned towards the political poles. In 1995, 30 percent of the population said they identified with the political center; in 2019 this was still 14 percent. The Swiss party landscape is also more polarized than that in other countries. The Swiss left positions itself relatively far to the left and the right relatively far to the right. Moreover, the political parties have a relatively high voter share.

What consequences does this have for the collaboration?
This mix causes quite a few people in Switzerland to view people they associate with other political groups with antipathy.

How useful are such studies actually?
International comparisons are interesting but often shaky because political systems and cultures differ greatly. The central question is to what extent we have a problem with polarization in Switzerland – whether the degree of polarization prevents us from shaping our future together. We see several dangers.

What observations have you made?
For example, we saw that in 2021 almost a third of adults broke off contact with close relatives due to disagreements about Corona – that is not a good sign for society’s ability to deal with conflict. In addition, there are widespread negative stereotypes against minorities – such as Muslims, blacks or Jews – and they are wrongly blamed for social ills. And conspiracy stories are very popular – this is an expression of the fact that many people long for simple explanations and try to divide the world and other people into good and evil.

What other challenges does polarization bring?
Polarization becomes a problem when we surround ourselves only with people who think and live the same way we do, when we treat others with disinterest, when we settle for simple stereotypes, when we blame other groups for social problems, and ultimately don’t longer interested in reaching out to others and making compromises.

Does polarization also have positive properties?
Yes absolutely. Polarization can be an expression of political diversity. We need that for a vibrant democracy. I think we are dealing with a repoliticization of society. We are once again negotiating the future with more passion. The question is whether we can discuss in a way that allows us to become smarter together and find good solutions to common problems, or whether we are mainly concerned with bashing heads.

46.6 percent of Swiss voters went to the polls for the National Council elections in October. This means that more than half of Switzerland is apolitical and not really polarized. Or?
We cannot say that the 53.4 percent who did not go to the polls are apolitical. Many may think that their vote does not count. This is an expression of fatalism. And there are probably people who don’t vote because they generally agree with the country’s politics. And we should not forget that there are many more ways to become politically involved: for example in clubs.

How do you make politics accessible?
We try to create opportunities that make it easier for people to actively participate. For example, we launched the Future Council – a virtually representative council of 80 teenagers and young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. They met over three weekends and developed new recommendations for action to improve mental health. They chose the topic themselves because they see that there is a great need for action. We received 1200 registrations. We didn’t expect that young people would be so interested in it. That was very nice to see.

Discussions about gender or fuel-free driving always cause heated discussions, be it in the comments section, at the regular table or in parliament. Certain parties abuse the emotionality in the election campaign. How should the population deal with this?
I think we win when we consciously deal with our emotions. What feelings drive my perception? Why do I respond with fear, anger, and irritation to what others say or do? What parts of my identity are currently activated? Where do these feelings actually come from? Do I project onto others and blame them for things for which they are not responsible?

So should we all meditate more and find ourselves?
(laughs) Yes, coming to terms with yourself almost always helps.

You contributed to the development of the ‘Let’s talk’ project, with the aim of bringing people with as many different opinions as possible into discussion with each other. Do you have any positive comments?
Yes. Many people tell us that they can better understand why people have different political views than their own, and: they also learn a lot about themselves and their own views. This shows that everyone benefits from dialogue – if it is respectful and constructive. We don’t all have to like each other, but we have to tolerate the fact that other people think and live differently than we do.

Are you looking forward to the new year with hope?
Nearly half of the Swiss population said this summer that they were skeptical about whether politics could solve the major problems of the future. I share this stomachache too. And at the same time, many things make me optimistic: many people voluntarily commit themselves to a better future and seek contact with people who think and feel differently. And something personal: I am part of a small group of Muslims and Jews in which we maintain dialogue with each other in view of the war in Gaza/Israel. We try to create a space where we can grieve together and share our pain about the immense suffering. A space in which different stories and feelings are given space. I think it’s great that we can focus on what we have in common in this incredibly difficult situation. The fact that dialogue is possible in such a context makes me very hopeful.