Racism and discrimination remain issues for many Swiss

Almost four in ten people in Switzerland have a migration background. Keystone / Steffen Schmidt

A majority of Swiss see racism as an important social issue, although the scale of the problem has remained relatively constant in the eyes of the population.

Some 60% of people polled by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) last year said racism was an important societal theme, up two percentage points since 2020.

This is according to the most recent edition of the FSO’s biennial Diversity and coexistence in Switzerland study, published on Thursday.

+ Exploring racism in Switzerland, by the numbers

As for the integration of migrants in the country, 59% of respondents rated this as good; this is down five percentage points on two years ago, but similar to the level recorded in 2018.

Just under one-third of people also say they have been the victims of discrimination and violence based on their background or appearance, down two percentage points on 2020. The rate is 40% for people with a migrant background, and 50% for the 15-24-year-old age group. This latter group is also particuarly adamant that authorities should do more to prevent racism.

Diverse population

Some 31% of the population meanwhile reported feeling “uncomfortable in the presence of people perceived to be different”.

And while 9% of foreign nationals said they sometimes feel “threatened”, just 4% of Swiss nationals said the same.

People from over 190 nationalities feature in Switzerland’s population of around 9 million. Almost 30% of residents were born abroad.

The workplace, at 58%, is where interactions involving diversity most often take place.