swiss petty theft survey 2022
Survey

How Swiss Steal: Petty Theft Survey 2022

July 26, 2022 - Raphael Knecht

From shoplifting to fare evasion, a representative survey by moneyland.ch shows where and how often residents of Switzerland have stolen goods or used paid services without paying for them.

Where are Swiss most likely to give in to the temptation to steal? A representative survey by moneyland.ch shows where residents steal goods or services. The 1500 participants who took part in the survey were asked about the locations and situations in which they had stolen or failed to pay for something, and how often this occurred. The results show that theft is no as uncommon in Switzerland as one might assume. Only around 40 percent of participants say that they have never engaged in theft.

Public transportation is the service which Swiss are most likely to use without paying the required fees. 39 percent of the 1500 survey participants say that they have deliberately used public transportation without buying a ticket, and 18 percent have done this more than once. “Riding the rails is more socially acceptable than shop lifting, for example. That may be a reason why Swiss occasionally take public transportation without the necessary ticket,” observes moneyland.ch CEO Benjamin Manz.

More than one-fourth of the population (27 percent) admit to having stolen something from their workplace at least once. Hotels are another popular target for petty theft, with 23 percent of participants saying that they have stolen from a hotel. These are followed by restaurants and shops. Locations which are the least likely to experience theft by residents of Switzerland include phone dealers, banks, and the post office.

Table 1: Who do Swiss steal from

Deliberate theft or failure to pay At least once
Public transportation (fare evasion) 39%
The workplace 27%
Hotels 23%
Migros supermarkets 19%
Restaurants 18%
Coop supermarkets 17%
At self-checkouts 16%
Loans (deliberate failure to repay debts) 15%
From relatives and acquaintances 14%
Kiosks 12%
Denner supermarkets 11%
Fashion stores 11%
Lidl supermarkets 9%
Aldi supermarkets 9%
Electronics dealers 9%
Pharmacies 8%
Furniture stores 8%
Libraries 8%
Post offices 7%
Banks 7%
Mobile phone dealers 7%
Other stores 11%

 

Men are more ready to steal

The survey shows that the tendency to steal is stronger among men than women. In every one of the locations and circumstances listed in the survey, more men than women admitted to having stolen or failed to pay at least once.

Failing to pay at restaurants is a particularly male tendency. A high 24 percent of men who took part in the survey said that they failed to pay a restaurant bill at least once, compared to just 14 percent of women. Men are also much more likely to steal from stores like Coop and Migros than women are.

On the other hand, public transportation fare evasion and petty theft from hotels are similarly common among women and men.

Table 2: Swiss theft habits by gender

Deliberate theft or failure to pay Women Men
Public transportation (fare evasion) 37% 41%
The workplace 23% 31%
Hotels 22% 25%
Migros supermarkets 16% 23%
Restaurants 14% 24%
Coop supermarkets 13% 22%
At self-checkouts 14% 19%
Loans (deliberate failure to repay debts) 12% 18%
From relatives and acquaintances 11% 17%
Kiosks 9% 17%
Denner supermarkets 7% 16%
Other stores 8% 15%
Fashion stores 9% 13%
Lidl supermarkets 6% 13%
Aldi supermarkets 6% 12%
Electronics dealers 5% 13%
Pharmacies 5% 11%
Furniture stores 6% 10%
Libraries 5% 11%
Post offices 5% 10%
Banks 4% 10%
Mobile phone dealers 4% 10%

 

The younger, the less scrupulous

“The likelihood of theft by residents between the ages of 50 and 74 is below average,” observes Manz. More than 90 percent of Swiss in this age group have never stolen or failed to pay in any of the listed locations or situations. In all other age groups, there are very few situations or locations in which at least 90 percent of participants had not stolen.

In contrast, theft by adults in the 18-to-25-year and 26-to-49-year age groups is higher than the average for all residents. “Young adults in particular are less scrupulous when it comes to stealing,” says Manz. Participants between the ages of 18 and 25 years old are notably more likely to have stolen from stores like Migros and Coop than other adults. Self-checkouts also tempt many young people to steal, with one quarter (25 percent) admitting to having not paid for items at self-checkout terminals. The number is lower for adults aged 26 to 49 years old, at 20 percent. Only 7 percent of adults in the oldest age group have every stolen from stores.

Fare evasion is also much more common among residents in the 18-to-25 age group than in other age groups. Half (50 percent) say that they have used public transportation without paying the fare at least once. More than one quarter (27 percent) have done this more than once.

Table 3: Swiss theft habits by age group

Deliberate theft or failure to pay 18 to 25 years old 26 to 49 years old 50 to 74 years old
Public transportation (fare evasion) 50% 40% 32%
The workplace 30% 29% 23%
Hotels 30% 26% 17%
Migros supermarkets 28% 22% 12%
Restaurants 22% 21% 13%
Coop supermarkets 26% 20% 10%
At self-checkouts 25% 20% 7%
Loans (deliberate failure to repay debts) 19% 17% 11%
From relatives and acquaintances 21% 15% 9%
Kiosks 16% 16% 6%
Denner supermarkets 16% 13% 7%
Fashion stores 17% 13% 5%
Lidl supermarkets 13% 12% 4%
Aldi supermarkets 13% 12% 3%
Electronics dealers 12% 12% 4%
Pharmacies 12% 10% 3%
Furniture stores 10% 11% 2%
Libraries 10% 10% 3%
Post offices 10% 10% 3%
Banks 10% 9% 2%
Mobile phone dealers 9% 9% 2%
Other stores 11% 14% 6%

 

The linguistic divide

German-speaking Swiss are somewhat more likely to steal from relatives and acquaintances (15 percent). Only 10 percent of participants in French-speaking Switzerland have stolen from friends or acquaintances. German-speaking Swiss are also more likely to steal from the workplace (28 percent) and hotels (25 percent). For French-speaking Switzerland, those figures are 23 and 20 percent respectively.

French-speaking Swiss, for their part, are more likely to steal from Coop supermarkets than their German-speaking compatriots. 20 percent admit to having knowingly not paid for items at Coop at least once, compared to 16 percent on the German-speaking side of the proverbial Röstigraben. Curiously, theft from Migros supermarkets is equally common in French- and German-speaking Switzerland.

Table 4: Top 10 by region

Deliberate theft or failure to pay German-speaking regions French-speaking regions
Public transportation (fare evasion) 38% 39%
The workplace 28% 23%
Hotels 25% 20%
Migros supermarkets 19% 19%
Restaurants 19% 18%
Coop supermarkets 16% 20%
At self-checkouts 17% 15%
Loans (deliberate failure to repay debts) 14% 17%
From relatives and acquaintances 15% 10%
Kiosks 13% 10%
Denner supermarkets 11% 12%
Other stores 11% 10%
Fashion stores 10% 12%
Lidl supermarkets 9% 10%
Aldi supermarkets 9% 10%
Electronics dealers 9% 10%
Pharmacies 8% 9%
Furniture stores 8% 8%
Libraries 8% 7%
Post offices 7% 7%
Banks 6% 8%
Mobile phone dealers 7% 7%

 

Are poor people more likely to steal?

Does personal wealth play a role in determining how likely Swiss are to steal? “Yes, but it is neither the poorest nor the richest residents who do the most stealing,” says Manz. For almost every point listed, residents with personal wealth of between 50,000 and 100,000 francs are most likely to have stolen at least once. Stealing is least common among residents with fortunes of 300,000 to 500,000 francs.

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Editor Raphael Knecht
Raphael Knecht was an analyst and a specialized editor at moneyland.ch until the end of February 2023. Since then, he is supporting the editorial team as a freelancer.