Housing shortage: What the Swiss think about measures
Two Comparis surveys show that the housing shortage in Switzerland is noticeable. However, the solutions proposed by experts and the public differ.
01.06.2026
iStock/Michael Derrer Fuchs
1. Switzerland is suffering from a housing shortage
A representative Comparis survey in November 2025 shows that the housing shortage remains an important everyday issue in Switzerland. 59% of the adult population perceive a lack of available housing In cities, the figure is as high as 66%.
A similar representative Comparis survey in March 2026 confirms that more than half of all people in Switzerland are aware of the housing shortage. Respondents from German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland perceive the housing shortage.
2. What solutions are there to the housing shortage?
There are various approaches to tackling the housing shortage. These include:
Building taller buildings (e.g. more than six floors)
Denser development (e.g. smaller distances between houses and fewer green spaces)
Creating new building zones (e.g. on current agricultural or green areas)
3. Despite the housing shortage: solutions are unwelcome
Although a clear majority of the population feels the housing shortage, according to the survey from November 2025 structural measures to solve this problem are unpopular:
50% of respondents are against the construction of taller buildings (more than 6 floors) in their municipality.
68% are against denser development with fewer green spaces and smaller distances between buildings.
66% are against new building zones at the expense of agricultural land or green spaces.
Only the restriction of appeals has a relative majority: 47% of those surveyed are in favour, 43% are against.
The survey shows that Switzerland needs more housing, but does not know where it should come from. We want more residential buildings – but we don’t want to build higher or more densely, or encroach on green spaces, or reduce the scope for objections.
Gender gap: women perceive the housing shortage, but reject measures to tackle it
The graph shows that, although men and women perceive the housing shortage to almost the same extent (59% vs 58%), their attitudes towards possible measures differ significantly:
Women often bear the main burden for family and neighbourhood – changes in the living environment are therefore probably perceived more strongly as a loss of quality of life. Men seem to think more pragmatically in this regard and are more willing to compromise – and they may also still be more likely to bear the financial burden of rents.
Affordable housing and cost control are particularly popular
According to the survey from March 2026 Swiss people see a solution to the housing shortage in the promotion of affordable housing and cooperative apartments. Another popular solution is rent caps and cost control.
According to Comparis property expert Harry Büsser state-subsidised housing however, also entails risks:
In the worst case, those who need subsidised housing do not benefit from it. There is a risk that the subsidised housing will go to people with connections.
Tax-financed housing subsidies could crowd out private investment.
According to Büsser a nuanced view is also worthwhile when it comes to rent caps.
Many respondents probably want to express above all that housing should remain affordable and that rules against excessive rents should be better enforced. At the same time, if regulation severely curbs investment in new buildings, this will exacerbate the shortage in the medium term rather than solving it.
4. City dwellers and young people are ready for higher buildings
According to the Survey from November 2025 young people aged between 18 and 35 and the urban population are feeling the housing shortage the most. These two groups also show the highest level of support for construction measures: 52% of young respondents would be willing to build higher. Among city dwellers, it is as high as 54%.
The Survey from March 2026 confirms that young people and the urban population are most affected by the housing shortage:
Overall, 29% of respondents have had difficulty finding or keeping a suitable apartment in the last 24 months.
In the cities was 32% have found it difficult to find an apartment in the last two years. In the country, it was only 25%.
44% of young adults aged 18 to 35 had difficulty finding an apartment in the last 24 months.
In addition, one-fifth of all respondents are worried that their apartment will be terminated.
Housing shortages have long since ceased to be an issue only for people who are currently looking to move. When one in five adults is afraid of losing their own home, it is fundamentally about security, the ability to plan and, ultimately, quality of life.
5. Conclusion: social tension in housing policy
According to Comparis finance expert Harry Büsser Switzerland is facing a future with high demand for housing, low construction activity and major political hurdles.
At the same time, it is not foreseeable whether construction-based solutions to the housing shortage will meet with more approval in the future. The measures are as unpopular as in the previous survey from May 2025. Only with regard to the creation of new building zones is there a statistically significant difference: currently, 30% are in favour, compared to 25% in 2025.
Politicians and developers need patience, courage – and good arguments. Especially with regard to women and in rural regions. Now we have to decide: do we want to seriously tackle the housing shortage or just talk about it? Without building higher and without faster building permit procedures, the housing shortage will worsen.
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The first representative survey was carried out by market research institute Innofact on behalf of comparis.ch in November 2025, and involved 1,039 adult participants from all regions of Switzerland.
The second representative survey was carried out by the market research institute Innofact on behalf of Comparis.ch in March 2026, and involved 1’034 adults from all regions of Switzerland.
Representativeness means that the participants in a survey reflect the entire target group well. This means that important characteristics such as age, gender or region of residence are distributed similarly to the population as a whole. This makes it easier to apply the results to everyone.
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This article was first published on 19.06.2025
