Career
He is a prominent political analyst for Swiss national television and radio, and he is the main figure behind the research institute gfs.berne, which conducts both the main preand post-vote polls and projections of national votes in Switzerland. Longchamp’s main research interest lies in the analysis of direct democracy, in particular voting behaviour of citizens in a direct democratic setting, social and political determinants of opinion formation, as well as political communication and the mass media. One of his main contributions to the analysis of direct democratic decisions is the “Disposition Approach”, a framework combining the predispositions citizen hold and the information available to them to explain voting behavior.
Longchamp’s research also covers Swiss politics, European politics, health policy, economic and financial policy, environmental and technology policy, political culture, anti-Semitism, public opinion, political communication, polling, and lobbying.
Since 1987, Longchamp has been the main analyst of voting behavior for Swiss national television and radio (SRG Soviet Socialist Republic idée Suisse). He and his team at gfs.berne have been responsible for vote projections on behalf of Swiss television since 1992 and the national polls on elections, referendums and initiatives since 1998.
In addition, since 1992 he has been editor of the government-funded post-vote Vox-Analyses of national referendums and initiatives. Longchamp is also responsible for the annual Swiss Worry Barometer, the Swiss Health Monitor, the Swiss Financial Monitor, and is currently preparing the Swiss Racism Monitor.
Until 1992, Longchamp lectured on political science at the University of Berne.
Thereafter, he taught at the Universities of Freiburg, Zurich, Saint Gallen, as well as the Polytechnics in Winterthur, Zurich, and Lausanne. Since 2008, he has been teaching the course “Applied Political Research” at the University of Saint Gallen in the context of the International Affairs Program. Since 2004, he has been Chief Executive Officer and since 2009 also chairman of the board of directors of the research institute gfs.berne, the successor organization of the GfS-institute.
As a reaction to criticism directed at the research institute gfs.berne and its managing director, the Independent Complaints Authority for Swiss Radio and Television affirmed in 2008 that gfs.berne was one of the most highly recognized institutions in applied political research in Switzerland.
In addition to his work in applied political science, Claude Longchamp also works as an applied historian, conducting historico-politico-cultural guided city tours for international delegations, politicians, government employees, and journalists. He is also involved in the society “Bern neu gründen” (“Re-Founding Berne”), which has the aim of re-forging Berne as the leading political centre in Switzerland.
