Even those who lose votes stay in the game
Press Release, October 13, 2026
Those who frequently lose in referendums may lose confidence in the Federal Council and Parliament. This is what referendum research to date has shown. However, a new study from the Center for Democracy Studies Aarau now concludes that voters who frequently suffer defeats support direct democracy more and participate more often in referendums, even though their political confidence declines.
The most recent federal referendum on September 27 produced a few losers. Voters clearly rejected both the Neutrality Initiative and the Food Initiative. What happens to citizens who keep losing at the ballot box?
A gap
Research on referendums to date shows that frequent defeats in referendums erode voters’ trust in politics. Consequently, those on the losing side are less satisfied with democracy and trust institutions less than the winners. Repeated defeats exacerbate this loss of trust. However, little research has been conducted to date on how referendum defeats affect individuals in direct democracies. This study, conducted as part of the DDS21 project (see box), fills this gap by examining a political system with extensive direct democracy rather than just individual referendums. This helps us understand how often voters find themselves on the winning or losing side and how these dynamics evolve over the long term.
Losers Stay in the Game
The study examines the effects on trust in political institutions, support for direct democracy, and participation in referendums when votes are frequently lost. Interestingly, only the first concern is confirmed: Those who frequently lose trust the Federal Council and Parliament less than those on the winning side. Even when people frequently suffer referendum defeats, they show greater support for direct democracy and participate more frequently in referendums. Consequently, this means that frequent defeats in a political system where direct democracy is widely used do not automatically lead to disillusionment with democracy among the electorate.
For the study’s author, Laurent Bernhard, the findings mean the following: «In a direct democracy, minorities can repeatedly bring their concerns to the ballot box and hope for success. Moreover, hardly anyone is always on the winning or losing side. This is one of the strengths of direct democracy: the way it functions helps ensure that even those on the losing side remain involved.»
These findings suggest that those who frequently lose in direct democracy are more dissatisfied with the elites than the winners, but are not disillusioned with politics. This supports the view that direct democracy can have a significant integrative effect on those citizens who often do not belong to the winning majority. The study thus suggests that in a political system with numerous referendums, frequent defeats do not necessarily foster political disillusionment.
| The «Direct Democracy in Switzerland in the 21st Century (DDS21)» Project Since 2023, the research project Direct Democracy in Switzerland in the 21st Century (DDS21), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), has aimed to examine the reasons behind Swiss citizens’ participation and voting decisions following each federal referendum. Led by the Center for Democracy Aarau (ZDA), which is affiliated with the University of Zurich, DDS21 brings together members from Switzerland’s eight university political science departments as well as the Liechtenstein Institute. Data and Method This study used data from a population survey conducted immediately after the federal referendum on June 18, 2023. Based on the sampling register of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), 2,100 eligible voters participated in an online survey. |
Download Study
Bernhard, L., & Kübler, D. (2026). Losing gracefully? On the effects of frequent defeat in direct democracy on political trust, support and participation. Political Research Exchange, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2474736X.2026.2728513
Contact
Dr. Laurent Bernhard
Project coordinatior Center for Democracy Studies
laurent.bernhard@uzh.ch
About the Center for Democracy Studies
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