While some countries worry about falling birth rates, Switzerland may go in the opposite direction. They're having a referendum to cap their population at 10 million. (futurology.today)

submitted 4 days ago by Lugh@futurology.today to c/futurology@futurology.today

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Economic "growth" seems to be doing less and less for most people. Its financial benefits mainly accrue at the very top of society; most people just get squeezed. Less housing, depressed wages, ever more crowded and less available services, the list of consequences of constant growth goes on.

The issue has a toxic element of anti-immigrant racism, but many are turning against the idea because they think the net negatives outweigh the positives. Switzerland's upcoming referendum is this in a microcosm. The right-wing anti-immigrant Swiss People's Party got 100,000 signatures to trigger their referendum, but support for the measure is also coming from outside their base. Polling has the result at near 50:50. If it passes, it will force a Western government to do something no one has ever had to do before - run a country where you cannot have endless economic growth.

Switzerland to vote on plan to cap population at 10mn: Country has 9.1mn permanent residents and experts fear the move will limit companies’ access to foreign talent

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[-] Lembot_0006@programming.dev 10 points 4 days ago

Almost no modern country wants MORE people, it is the median age that is problematic. And increasing overall population is the most primitive way to increase a working age population.

[-] onlinepersona@programming.dev 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Seems like nobody there has heard of the 1 child policy. Go on Switzerland, do it. I want to see the country limit birthrates, immigration, and foreign investment. Will they become the first European country to force parents to give their children away? Or will it go the other way and they'll try to fins a way to become younger?

I want them to do it. It'll be amazing.

P.S please share the link to the original article. That archive uses Google and for some reason I end up in an endless captcha loop.

[-] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 days ago

Shame more countries don't have referenda. It would be a really useful tool for addressing political bombs that no party wants to touch like cannabis or abolishing the triple lock

[-] glitching@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 days ago

once we have a reliable way of "hey what should we do about this?" and people instantly giving direct feedback, the intermediaries - congress, senat, whateverthefuck - aren't needed no more

[-] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 days ago

Yep.

https://plurality.net/

Here's an interesting crowd sourced book that discusses doing just that, digitally. The task you ate describing (currently an MP's job) is called 'broad listening'

[-] eleitl@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago

10 million is still in deep overshoot. But at least they're trying.

this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2026

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