Media analysis - 2011

The Swiss Electoral Study 2011 (Selects 2011) was conducted by FORS and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The Selects study of 2011 and the studies of 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 aim to ensure the continuity and further development of election research. The data collected in this study highlights the reasons for participation and abstention during the elections, the composition of the electorate of the parties, the voting behavior of different social groups, the main political attitudes and orientations of the electorate, and the opinion-forming process.
4391 people were interviewed between October 24 and November 25, 2011. The national sample includes 2000 people; 2391 additional interviews were carried out to ensure a minimum sample of 100 persons per canton, respectively about 600 in the cantons of Zurich, Ticino and Geneva.
The interviews were conducted in Adligenswil, Geneva and Winterthur by the survey institute DemoSCOPE. The interviews examined, among other things, electoral behavior in 2011 and 2007, the reasons for (non-)participation in the elections, party identification, political interest, political opinions, various political key issues, media use and political knowledge. Statistical characteristics such as education, occupation, pay, etc. were also collected.
After the telephone survey, a supplementary questionnaire was sent to 2489 people. In total, 1786 people (72%) returned the completed questionnaire electronically or by mail.