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The image of foreigners in Switzerland has deteriorated

The image of foreigners in Switzerland has deteriorated
The image of foreigners in Switzerland has deteriorated Keystone-SDA

The Federal Statistical Office has found that Swiss people’s views of foreigners have worsened over the last couple of years.

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Between 2022 and 2024, the proportion of the Swiss population who consider the impact of foreigners on school education to be negative rose by seven percentage points, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) wrote on Tuesday.

In the area of safety, the proportion of those who believe that foreigners make the roads in Switzerland unsafe rose by 6 percentage points to almost 30%. Concerns about the misuse of social benefits also divides the population more strongly.

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In general, however, the population is open to people from abroad living in Switzerland and sees positive effects of their presence in the country, according to the report. After all, more than 70% do not think that foreigners create a feeling of insecurity on the street, are responsible for an increase in unemployment or that foreign children hinder the education of Swiss children.

According to the survey by the Federal Statistical Office, around 60% of the population is in favour of granting more rights to foreigners living in Switzerland, particularly with regard to family reunification.

However, only half of respondents are in favour of political participation by foreign nationals in Switzerland. Between 2022 and 2024, the proportion in favour of such rights for foreign nationals fell by almost five percentage points.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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