A clear majority of Swiss voters have voted to reject “an unconditional basic income” or “Grundeinkommen” for everyone living in the country, reported Swiss media on Sunday.

The projection, gathered by the GFS polling group for Swiss broadcaster SRF said 78 percent of voters said “no” to the referendum, with a 3 percent margin of error. Around 22 percent voted in favor of the proposal.

The ballot did not provide a specific figure, but economists projected a minimum of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,560, 2,225 euros) per month would have been allocated for adults living in the Alpine country.

Children would have been given about a quarter of that amount.

Supporters of the measure said it would promote human dignity and public service. Opponents – including the Swiss government –argued that the proposal would cost too much and weaken the economy.

Switzerland is the first country to hold a national vote on basic income, but other countries such as Finland are considering similar plans.

‘Setting a trend’

The referendum arose after supporters garnered more than 100,000 signatures. One of the initiative founders Daniel Häni, a café owner in Basel, admitted defeat, but praised the vote nonetheless.

“As a businessman I am a realist and had reckoned with 15 percent support, now it looks like more than 20 percent or maybe even 25 percent. I find that fabulous and sensational,” he told SRF.

“When I see the media interest, from abroad as well, then I say we are setting a trend.”

Supporters of the initiative echoed Häni’s optimistic sentiments online, with one user tweeting: “From zero to +20 percent is definitely reason to celebrate for a ‘utopia’!”

‘Yes’ to embryo testing and asylum law

GFS projections also showed that around 66 percent voted in favor of changes to the country’s asylum law to speed up the administration process for applications.

A proposal to allow genetic screening for embryos of couples with known genetic disorders is also expected to pass with an estimated 61 percent in support.