Uniform for All? A Framing Experiment on the Acceptance of a Gender-Neutral Compulsory Service in Switzerland

In light of increasing military conflicts within and outside Europe, as well as demands for more appropriate representation of women, gender‐neutral military service has become a topic of public debate. Building on research on framing effects, this article examines which factors influence public acceptance of gender‐neutral military service. Using original data from a survey experiment with a representative sample of over 1,500 respondents in Switzerland, we examine the acceptance of a corresponding reform proposal. We show that overall acceptance is relatively insensitive to different types of frames. Only gender‐neutral framing (i.e., a frame does not mention specific genders) increased acceptance among respondents. Acceptance depended most on how strongly respondents would be affected by such a reform, particularly because of their gender, as well as on their perception of Switzerland's security and the necessity of the army. Framing strategies therefore only increase the acceptance of gender‐neutral compulsory service to a limited extent.