22 percent of them born elsewhere

Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Only a minority of Swiss think there are too many foreigners living in the country,   Country-wide, 45.7 percent of those asked say that there are too many foreigners living in Switzerland, while 53.7 percent say the number of non-Swiss is not too high.

A slim majority of Swiss Germans (50.9 percent) believe there are too many foreigners, while the French-speaking cantons (67.3 percent) and Italian-speakers in Ticino  (61.3 percent) are more open towards foreigners, according to the poll by Isopublic, published by Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger Saturday 7 November.

Political party affiliation and an urban, as opposed to a rural, context were the most conspicuous factors that determined people’s answers, with urban residents being more open.

The same poll conducted in 1998 found a clear majority of Swiss thought there were too many non-Swiss in their midst. The proportion of foreigners living in Switzerland then was 1.4 million, or 19 percent, compared to 1.8m, or 22 percent today.

Some commentators believe that the change in opinion is marked by the numbers of well-qualified foreigners who have moved to Switzerland since the last survey was conducted. In 1998, Swiss opinion was much influenced by poorer immigrants from southeastern Europe.

Link to other site: AFP

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