Results of the safety survey

The Swiss Security Survey, which has been conducted regularly for more than 30 years, provides information about long-term developments in crime: "After an upward trend in recent years, a decline in crime can now be recorded," highlights the study's director, Martin Killias. "Especially in the case of theft as well as assaults and threats, crimes decreased significantly compared to the last survey in 2011," Killias notes. The results of the safety survey are largely in line with the police crime statistics of previous years.

Younger people increasingly affected by assaults and threats

Of the 2000 respondents, 7.9% reported being the victim of an assault or threat in the past five years. This is 2.1% fewer than five years ago. Those under 39 were significantly more affected than older respondents. "This phenomenon has been observable for some time," explains Stefan Blättler, president of the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders in Switzerland (KKPKS). "The higher victimization rates among younger individuals may be related to going out." In contrast to the 2011 survey, no statistically significant difference by gender was found anymore.

According to Killias, the results indicate a decrease in physical assaults in general. In addition, it showed that the severity had decreased. Robbery offenses, on the other hand, increased slightly compared to the 2011 survey (+0.4%). "Since the first time it was conducted, we have noticed a continuous increase in robbery," Killias confirms. However, it would only be possible to make well-founded statements about the causes by means of further scientific studies.

Vandalism as the most urgent problem

Although fewer respondents in 2015 (8.4%) said there were nuisance things on the street (2011: 11.6%), they located more urgent problems in the communities. Whereas in 2011, just under one-third each thought there were no urgent problems to solve, in 2015 the figure was one-quarter. Respondents complain most about vandalism, as well as burglaries, thefts and robberies. "We take these concerns seriously and will continue to work to improve the situation with a preventive presence, prevention campaigns as well as consistent investigative work," emphasizes the KKPKS president.

Majority feels safe in Switzerland

85.3% of all respondents feel safe walking alone on the street after dark. This value has been steadily increasing since it was recorded in 2000. 11.3% said they were specifically afraid of becoming a victim of crime in the past 12 months. "While this result is encouragingly low, it is our job to ensure that everyone in Switzerland feels safe. We are doing everything we can with the resources we have," explains Blättler.

Prevention campaigns ingrained in minds

Despite a slight drop in burglary figures, significantly more people believe it is likely that an attempt will be made to break into their home in the next year (+7.7%). On the other hand, the security survey also shows that the population is increasingly concerned with the issue of burglary. Thus, almost 60% of the respondents confirm that they are aware of a campaign against burglary.

In general, the level of awareness of prevention campaigns has increased compared to 2011 to 61.3% (+7.1%). Furthermore, the proportion of those who have changed their behavior as a result of a campaign has increased. For example, one-third of respondents say they behave more cautiously on the Internet (+9.3%). In addition, the percentage of people who have taken measures against burglary has increased by 8%. "The figures show that our messages are ingrained in the minds of the population," Martin Boess, director of Swiss Crime Prevention, is convinced. "However, the percentage must be further increased."

Great trust in the police

The attitude of the surveyed population towards the police was also recorded. Almost nine out of ten respondents (87.9%) said they trusted the police. The strong increase in trust among people under 26 years of age is particularly pleasing, although the values are only comparable to a limited extent as a result of a different type of question. More than 70% rate the work of the police with a grade of five or higher, and more than 90% of respondents describe efforts to combat crime as fairly to very good. Furthermore, satisfaction with police work is stable at a high level after a report. Police presence is rated as sufficient by more than 60%. While over 39 year olds rated the presence as sufficient by 54.6%, under 26 year olds rated it as sufficient by over 70%. Among other things, this can be attributed to increased patrols at hot spots and neuralgic points.

The Swiss Safety Survey 2015 was conducted by Killias Research & Consulting (KRC) on behalf of KKPKS. It follows on from earlier national studies by the International Crime Victimization Survey (ICVS) and is based on a sample of around 2,000 people. The survey was conducted by the survey institute gfs-zürich between May 2015 and September 2015. The response rate is 66.5%.