The electoral importance and evolution of climate‐related energy policy: evidence from Switzerland

In this study, we provide descriptive evidence on the importance and evolution of climate‐related energy policy in Swiss elections over the past 15 years. We combined data collected by us on the issue of energy transition (as the primary policy tool to prevent climate change) in party manifestos with the results of recent Swiss election studies on voter preferences. Our findings indicate that energy and environmental issues have become increasingly polarizing for both parties and voters. This development was mainly driven by the populist right SVP. Simultaneously, the salience of the issue has risen across the electorate and for parties on the right of the political divide. However, issue owning green parties are particularly devoting less attention to energy and environmental issues, narrowing the space in which parties compete along this dimension and disregarding the strong upward trend of these issues among their core voters.