A water-soluble and/or water-swellable hybrid polymer comprising: (i) from 30 wt.-% to 95 wt.-% water-soluble and/or water-swellable polysaccharide polymer; (ii) from 5 wt.-% to 70 wt.-% synthetic polymer comprising: (a) from 90 mol-% to 99.9 mol-% of repeating units according to Formula wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from H, methyl or ethyl; A is a linear or branched C 1 -C 12 -alkyl group; and Q + is H +, NH 4 +, an organic ammonium ion [NHR 5 R 6 R 7] + wherein R 5, R 6, and R 7 independently of one another is hydrogen, a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, a linear or branched, mono- or poly-unsaturated alkenyl group having 2 to 22 carbon atoms, a C 6 -C 22 alkylamidopropyl group, a linear mono-hydroxyalkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms or a linear or branched dihydroxyalkyl group having 3 to 15 carbon atoms, and wherein at least one of the radicals R 5, R 6, and R 7 is not hydrogen, or Q + is Li +, Na +, K +, 1⁄2 Ca ++, 1⁄2 Mg ++, 1⁄2 Zn ++, 1/3 Al +++, or combinations thereof; (b) from 0.01 mol-% to 5 mol-% of crosslinking or branching units, wherein the crosslinking or branching units result from the incorporation of a monomer comprising at least two olefinically unsaturated double bonds; characterised in that the components (i) and (ii) are polymerised by radical precipitation polymerisation in a polar solvent. (i) from 30 wt.-% to 95 wt.-% water-soluble and/or water-swellable polysaccharide polymer; (ii) from 5 wt.-% to 70 wt.-% synthetic polymer comprising: (a) from 90 mol-% to 99.9 mol-% of repeating units according to Formula wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from H, methyl or ethyl; A is a linear or branched C 1 -C 12 -alkyl group; and Q + is H +, NH 4 +, an organic ammonium ion [NHR 5 R 6 R 7] + wherein R 5, R 6, and R 7 independently of one another is hydrogen, a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, a linear or branched, mono- or poly-unsaturated alkenyl group having 2 to 22 carbon atoms, a C 6 -C 22 alkylamidopropyl group, a linear mono-hydroxyalkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms or a linear or branched dihydroxyalkyl group having 3 to 15 carbon atoms, and wherein at least one of the radicals R 5, R 6, and R 7 is not hydrogen, or Q + is Li +, Na +, K +, 1⁄2 Ca ++, 1⁄2 Mg ++, 1⁄2 Zn ++, 1/3 Al +++, or combinations thereof; (b) from 0.01 mol-% to 5 mol-% of crosslinking or branching units, wherein the crosslinking or branching units result from the incorporation of a monomer comprising at least two olefinically unsaturated double bonds; (a) from 90 mol-% to 99.9 mol-% of repeating units according to Formula wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from H, methyl or ethyl; A is a linear or branched C 1 -C 12 -alkyl group; and Q + is H +, NH 4 +, an organic ammonium ion [NHR 5 R 6 R 7] + wherein R 5, R 6, and R 7 independently of one another is hydrogen, a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, a linear or branched, mono- or poly-unsaturated alkenyl group having 2 to 22 carbon atoms, a C 6 -C 22 alkylamidopropyl group, a linear mono-hydroxyalkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms or a linear or branched dihydroxyalkyl group having 3 to 15 carbon atoms, and wherein at least one of the radicals R 5, R 6, and R 7 is not hydrogen, or Q + is Li +, Na +, K +, 1⁄2 Ca ++, 1⁄2 Mg ++, 1⁄2 Zn ++, 1/3 Al +++, or combinations thereof; (b) from 0.01 mol-% to 5 mol-% of crosslinking or branching units, wherein the crosslinking or branching units result from the incorporation of a monomer comprising at least two olefinically unsaturated double bonds;