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.
