The partisan politics of gold: Switzerland and the sale of gold

This explores the relative strength of social, economic and political factors in determining public attitudes towards the sale of a portion of Switzerland’s gold reserves and how the money realized from these sales should be used. Partisan political allegiance is the major factor in determining attitudes towards gold sales in Switzerland in the early 2000s. Cantons and individuals that had supported the Swiss People’s Party were more inclined to support its Gold Initiative than supporters of the Swiss Social Democratic Party which actively campaigned against it. In addition, generational and class factors played a role in determining attitudes with older and less affluent voters being more inclined to support the Gold Initiative than younger and more prosperous Swiss voters.