'Without Immigration, More Than A Third Of The Swiss Population Would Disappear Per Generation'

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Switzerland is a country of emigration, but at the same time it has a high level of immigration. This is typical of an open, globalised country, says political analyst Michael Hermann in an interview. This content was published on May 12, 2025 - 14:00 10 minutes

I work as editor and correspondent at the Federal Palace. I report on Swiss politics for the Swiss Abroad and manage our political talk show Let's Talk. I started in local journalism in the early nineties and have worked in many journalistic fields, held management positions and covered a range of topics. I joined SWI swissinfo in 2017.

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SWI swissinfo: Have you ever felt like emigrating?

Michael Hermann: I emigrated from a rural area in canton Bern to Zurich, to the city. For me, it really was like emigrating, and arriving in Zurich isn't that easy. But now I've built up my social capital here and I don't want to gamble it away.

SWI: So no home sickness?

M.H.: No, I'm not leaving here.

Michael Hermann is the founder and director of the opinion research institute Sotomo.

He studied geography, economics and history and teaches at the Institute of Geography at the University of Zurich.

Hermann published the atlas of political landscapes in Switzerland and developed the political spider profiles, the Smart Spider.

SWI: Switzerland is a popular country for immigration. Does that show that it's doing a lot right?

M.H.: Yes, but it's also right geographically. The jewels were there: this landscape, great mountains, beautiful lakes. Switzerland has no natural resources, it had to work for a lot of things itself. That was its advantage. Countries that could help themselves to their raw materials often lag behind today. But Switzerland's liberal, civic-minded culture also made it an attractive place to live and work. Today, this has a magnetic effect on many people who don't live here, but who recognise that there is potential here.

SWI: What's the price of this success?

M.H.: A lot of people arrive in a short space of time. That brings challenges with it. Our infrastructure is under strain, not only the transport infrastructure, but also the housing infrastructure and the natural areas where people can relax. This leads to a defensive attitude. People think that we don't live in Manhattan here, but in a country with rural roots. Many people wonder where this is all leading. There are these growing pains, they are real. But the costs of immigration are seen much more directly than the benefits.

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