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Swiss put security ahead of freedom, survey finds

Policewoman with yellow overcoat
The Swiss trust the police more than the government, the courts or the media, according to a new survey. © Keystone/ Laurent Gillieron

Nine out of ten Swiss citizens said at the beginning of the year that they feel secure and their optimism about the future has increased compared with 2021, according to a new survey.

The latest edition of the annual report by the military academy and Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich found citizens’ trust towards authorities and institutions unchanged compared with the previous year.

Police and the scientific community ranked top ahead of the courts and the government, according to the report published on Tuesday. Political parties and the media achieved the lowest trust ratings.

The surveyExternal link, which was carried out before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also found that the Swiss “still strongly and unanimously approve of neutrality”.

Compared to the survey last year, the willingness of the Swiss to open up remains unchanged at a low level. A clear majority rejects Swiss membership of the European Union, according to the survey.

Overall, the fundamental social value of security was considered more important than freedom, the authors say.

The survey was carried out among 1,217 Swiss citizens in the German, French and Italian-speaking parts of the country between January 4 and January 20.

The authors say they will publish an updated version of the study in the next few weeks to take into account public opinion of the war in Ukraine.

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