High trust in authorities

In 2018, the 1209 voters surveyed feel very safe. The general perception of safety is very high at 95%. In addition, the Swiss electorate feels significantly safer in public spaces (83%, +4%) than in 2017. Compared with the Previous year significantly more respondents were optimistic about the future of Switzerland in 2018 (87%, +5%). This is shown by the Study "Security 2018" by the Military Academy (MILAK) at ETH Zurich and the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich.

Police enjoy the highest level of trust

The mean trust in institutions and authorities in 2018 is above the long-term average (2018: 6.7 on a scale of 10, long-term average 6.3). The police (7.9) continue to enjoy the highest level of trust, followed by the courts (7.4). The Federal Council follows in third place with 7.0, while the Swiss economy (6.9), the Swiss army (6.6, -0.2) and the federal parliament (6.4, -0.2) occupy the middle positions. For the first time, the media (5.7, +0.2) are trusted more than the political parties (5.4). Compared to the previous year, significantly less trust is placed in the army and the federal parliament, and significantly more in the media.

Positive attitude towards the army

Overall, respondents rate the army positively, as the "Security 2018" survey shows. At 81%, there is above-average agreement with the necessity of the army. The military plays a central role in Swiss life for 43% of respondents. The militia army is preferred by a majority (56%) over a professional army. Satisfaction with the performance of the armed forces is in line with the long-term average (6.3, ±0 on a scale of 1-10). The majority of the population believes that the level of current defense spending is not too high (just right 49%, too low 11%).

The respondents would like to be informed about the armed forces through media releases, regardless of age (80%). The website is a popular information channel among 65%, with the exception of those aged 60 and over. 39% of 18-29 year olds would like information about the Army via Facebook. The quality of Army communication is perceived as high by 71% of respondents.

Security before freedom in the fight against terrorism

64% of respondents support that "terrorism should be fought by all means, even if this means restricting personal freedoms." This, along with the high level of support for stronger counterterrorism measures (89%), shows that respondents continue to give this issue high priority in 2018. The analysis of views on terrorism shows that preventive as well as repressive measures in the fight against terrorism meet with similar levels of approval. 93% of respondents agree with the statement that "there is no such thing as one hundred percent security and we therefore have to live with residual insecurity." Respondents trust the security authorities to fight terrorism. A majority of 62% agree that "increased security measures can prevent terrorist attacks."

Neutral and low readiness to open

Neutrality continues to enjoy strong support among the electorate in 2018. 95% of respondents are in favor of maintaining neutrality and 86% believe neutrality is "inseparably linked to the idea of the Swiss state". The low willingness to open up is expressed in the clear rejection of joining NATO (19%) or the EU (16%). At the same time, Switzerland's "good offices" (77%) and mediating role (74%) are clearly supported. Only support for an increase in development aid has dropped significantly compared to 2017, but still remains with a majority support of 59% (-4%). Respondents prefer a neutral, politically autonomous Switzerland that cooperates only in economic matters. They are clearly in favor of economic cooperation with the EU, with 81%.  Press release VBS

About the study: Between January 4 and 30, 2018, the data for the "Security 2018" study was collected by the LINK research institute. In the process, 1209 voters from German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino were interviewed by telephone. The sampling error is ±2.8%.