The origins of Euroscepticism in German-speaking Switzerland

Abstract

This article examines why the electorate in German-speaking Switzerland has consistently opposed joining the European Union. It first shows that the region scores highly on a range of general correlates of negative attitudes towards European integration. However, this is compounded by more idiosyncratic factors, above all by the German-speaking Swiss’ peculiar political and cultural position. On the one hand, as Swiss they belong to a state that lacks a single national culture, is defined in civic and institutional rather than cultural terms, and therefore appears more vulnerable in the face of the European Union’s own civic and institutional ambitions. On the other hand, as Swiss-Germans, they belong to a cultural and linguistic region whose cultural boundaries are relatively fragile and lack institutional backup and articulation. Caught in this identitive double bind, the Swiss-German electorate has developed an underlying sense of vulnerability and a desire to limit exposure to the outside world.