4 Political topics
referendum, Centre for Research on Direct Democracy (C2D), direct democracy, report, worldwide
4.1 National topic variation over time
Referendum topics range across a wide array of policy areas, reflecting the diverse concerns of Swiss voters. By analyzing trends over time, we can see how certain issues vary significantly in importance depending on the canton and time period. Figure 4.1 illustrates the evolution of topics covered in Swiss national referendums from 1870 to the present. Each colored band represents a different policy area, with the width of the band corresponding to the number of referendums on that topic relative to other topics during a given time period.
In the early years, referendum topics were relatively limited and infrequent, represented by the narrow bands. Over time, as Swiss direct democracy became more institutionalized, the number of referendums increased, and the variety of topics expanded significantly, especially in the second half of the 20th century. The two topics with the steepest ascendance are the environment and living space and the energy topic, which were factually non-existent before the 1930s and came into focus after that period, aligning with the global rise of environmental and energy concerns.
4.2 Cantonal topic variation
Figure 4.2 shows the distribution of referendum topics across various cantons. Each row represents a canton, while the columns correspond to specific topics. The intensity of the color indicates the relative frequency of referendums on a given topic in a canton, with darker colors representing higher frequencies.
Referendum votes on public finance, social policy, and state organization constitute a prominent fraction of total referendums across most cantons. This suggests that these issues are central to the political discourse in most cantons and frequently put to a referendum. In contrast, topics such as agriculture, culture, religion, and media, and security policy tend to be less frequently addressed in referendums at the cantonal level. Referendums on foreign policy are often non-existent on the cantonal level, as international affairs usually fall into the jurisdiction of governments on the national level. In addition, Luzern never had a referendum on agriculture, the people of Zug never voted on a cantonal energy proposal, and Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Vaud have not held a referendum on security policy.