GENEVA, March 27. /TASS/. More than 90% of Swiss residents support retaining the country’s neutral status while 30% of the population is open to the idea of joining NATO, according to the results of a public opinion poll on security published on the Swiss government’s website.

According to the survey held on January 3-22, 2024, 91% of residents said that they adhered to neutrality. This is six percentage points less than in the poll held in January 2022, before the onset of combat in Ukraine.

In the survey, 30% of respondents supported joining NATO, which is one percentage point less than in 2023. The number of those wishing for closer ties with the military bloc has decreased by three percentage points over the past year, resulting in 52%.

According to the poll results, 92% of Swiss residents feel they are safe and 79% have an optimistic outlook for the country’s future. Over the past year, the number of those who feel that Switzerland needs its own armed forces has increased by four percentage points (an increase up to 82%). The survey revealed that 31% of Swiss residents support doing away with compulsory military service which is four percentage points less than in January 2023.

Switzerland, a non-NATO and non-EU member, supports the EU sanctions against Russia in connection with the special military operation in Ukraine in spite of its neutral status. In March 2022, the Russian government approved a list of foreign countries and territories that have committed unfriendly acts against Russia, or Russian companies and citizens. The Swiss Confederation is included in the list of such countries.