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 40 mol-% to 99 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 + , organic ammonium ions [NHR 5 R 6 R 7 ] + wherein R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 independently of one another may be hydrogen, a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, a linear or branched, singularly or multiply unsaturated alkenyl group having 2 to 22 carbon atoms, a C 6 -C 22 alkylamidopropyl group, a linear mono-hydroxyalkyl group having 2 to carbon atoms or a linear or branched dihydroxyalkyl group having 3 to carbon atoms, and where 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-% 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; (c) from 0.99 mol-% to 59.99 mol-% of repeating neutral structural units; 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 40 mol-% to 99 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 + , organic ammonium ions [NHR 5 R 6 R 7 ] + wherein R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 independently of one another may be hydrogen, a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, a linear or branched, singularly or multiply unsaturated alkenyl group having 2 to 22 carbon atoms, a C 6 -C 22 alkylamidopropyl group, a linear mono-hydroxyalkyl group having 2 to carbon atoms or a linear or branched dihydroxyalkyl group having 3 to carbon atoms, and where 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-% 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; (c) from 0.99 mol-% to 59.99 mol-% of repeating neutral structural units; (a) from 40 mol-% to 99 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 + , organic ammonium ions [NHR 5 R 6 R 7 ] + wherein R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 independently of one another may be hydrogen, a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, a linear or branched, singularly or multiply unsaturated alkenyl group having 2 to 22 carbon atoms, a C 6 -C 22 alkylamidopropyl group, a linear mono-hydroxyalkyl group having 2 to carbon atoms or a linear or branched dihydroxyalkyl group having 3 to carbon atoms, and where 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-% 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; (c) from 0.99 mol-% to 59.99 mol-% of repeating neutral structural units; <EOS>