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Prevalence and Impact of Hate Speech among Politicians in Switzerland

Author

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  • Joëlle Ninon Albrecht

    (Research and Development, Office of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Justice and Home Affairs, 8090 Zurich, Switzerland
    Child Development Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany)

  • Jérôme Endrass

    (Research and Development, Office of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Justice and Home Affairs, 8090 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
    Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland)

  • Michal Sonja Dreifuss

    (Research and Development, Office of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Justice and Home Affairs, 8090 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany)

  • Nina Schnyder

    (Research and Development, Office of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Justice and Home Affairs, 8090 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany)

  • Astrid Rossegger

    (Research and Development, Office of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Justice and Home Affairs, 8090 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
    Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland)

Abstract

Politicians may be particularly vulnerable to hate speech because of their public visibility and exposure to deviating opinions. They play a critical role in the functioning of a democratic system, and therefore, hate speech poses a potential threat because it can impede politicians’ freedom of expression or even lead politicians to resign from office. However, little is known about the prevalence and impact of hate speech targeting politicians. We therefore surveyed the politicians in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, 667 of whom participated (39.8% response rate). The prevalence of hate speech experiences was 29.7% in their total time as politicians and 20.6% in the past 12 months. Participants who had held a political office for longer and were affiliated with a political party on the poles of the political spectrum were more susceptible. Crucially, 29.4% of the affected politicians had contemplated resigning from politics due to hate speech. Thus, our study underlines a need for action. As the participants indicated they wanted to deal with hate speech as little as possible but still desired some form of intervention, political measures should strive for intervention options that require minimal contributions from the victims.

Suggested Citation

  • Joëlle Ninon Albrecht & Jérôme Endrass & Michal Sonja Dreifuss & Nina Schnyder & Astrid Rossegger, 2024. "Prevalence and Impact of Hate Speech among Politicians in Switzerland," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-11, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:14:y:2024:i:7:p:98-:d:1423078
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. María Antonia Paz & Julio Montero-Díaz & Alicia Moreno-Delgado, 2020. "Hate Speech: A Systematized Review," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, November.
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