13 AHV pension – the «social justice» voting motif stands out

An analysis of the approved vote on the 13th AHV pension shows: It was not only vested interests that shaped the result. Overarching moral ideas also had an impact on the vote – for example, that poverty is the result of social injustice. The research approach thus sheds new light on the social fabric in Switzerland.

In March 2024, Switzerland adopted the initiative for a 13th AHV pension. This is only the second time that voters have approved an initiative from trade union circles at a federal level. After the vote, the result was quickly explained away by personal interests and direct concern. Pensioners and people on low incomes were the main supporters of the initiative.

Moral attitudes play a role

Voting research as part of the DDS21 project (see box) takes a different approach: It examines the moral dimension of opinion formation. In other words: What idea(s) of justice exist in a society and how does this affect the outcome of the vote? Lionel Marquis from the University of Lausanne and co-author of the evaluation classifies the research approach as follows: «Moral attitudes are regularly examined in international research. The aim is to shed light on political decisions that cannot be explained on the basis of pure self-interest – I’m thinking of the Brexit vote, for example. In Switzerland, on the other hand, the political effects of moral attitudes are still hardly a topic».

Those who find the world unfair were more likely to vote yes

The analysis makes it clear that the voting decision on the 13th pension depended on several moral attitudes – the perceptions that «the world is just» (or unjust), that the existing system is worth preserving (or not) and that poverty is due to social injustice (or not). There was a tendency for people who adhere to an «interpretive framework» based on injustice to agree with the 13th pension, as opposed to people who are convinced of the legitimacy of the social system. «In Switzerland, it is often discussed that self-interest and political trust in the government or parliament influence voting decisions,» says Lionel Marquis, but: «It must be recognized that attitudes towards the social system are also important. These attitudes are extremely important for our society. We suspect that issues of justice will play an increasingly important role in votes and elections. In today’s political environment, with the cost of living rising and government revenues falling, we need renewed solidarity between generations and social classes to tackle major challenges such as climate change».

Further resources

Blog post on the DeFacto platform: www.defacto.expert (German, French, Italian)
Project website: www.dds21.uzh.ch/de

General information on the project

Prof. Dr. Daniel Kübler, Center for Democracy Studies Aarau
daniel.kuebler@zda.uzh.ch, 078 815 67 60

Enquiries Evaluation results

Jessy Sparer, Universität Lausanne, Jessy.Sparer@unil.ch
Lionel Marquis, Universität Lausanne, Lionel.Marquis@unil.ch

About the CDA

The Centre for Democracy Studies Aarau is a scientific research centre supported by the University of Zurich, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, the Canton of Aargau and the City of Aarau. It conducts basic research and addresses current issues relating to democracy – regionally, in Switzerland and worldwide. www.zdaarau.ch