Dr Sarah Gomm is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, where she coordinates the Swiss Environmental Panel. Her research focuses on environmental politics with a particular emphasis on individual-level public opinion dynamics. In her past work she examined individual-level barriers and pathways to climate policy support and pro-environmental behavior using survey data. 

She is currently a guest researcher at artec Sustainability Research Center and will give the following guest lecture:

Polarization or backlash? Public opinion dynamics in Swiss climate support, 2019-2026
Dr Sarah Gomm, University of Zurich & ETH Zurich

Public support for climate action across Europe, including Switzerland, has stalled or declined since a peak in the late 2010s, raising concerns about policy rollbacks. This paper asks whether this trend is driven by a general decline in climate policy support across the population or if it is a consequence of deepening societal polarization. Specifically, we test three competing explanations: a general decline in issue salience across the population, reflecting a shift in priorities; deepening societal polarization where ideological divisions drive opposition in specific subgroups; or a backlash among previously supportive groups due to, e.g., disillusionment with policy efficacy or fairness. To disentangle these trends, we use a unique country-representative panel survey (N = 4000), tracking support for various climate policies and green vote intentions in Switzerland from 2019 until 2025. We estimate within-subject changes in support and test for diverging patterns among population subgroups. Identifying whether shifts are parallel across the population or driven by specific groups is essential for policymakers aiming to sustain public engagement and build consensus for climate change mitigation efforts.

For further information on Sarah Gomm, please look here.