Immigrants and naturalised Swiss trust authorities

The Swiss police enjoy more trust among people with a migration background than those without Keystone

People with a migration background have greater trust in the Swiss police, courts and political system than people without such a background, according to a study by the Federal Statistics Office. 

A third of the population aged over 15 has a so-called migration background, which covers those without a Swiss passport, those who have become Swiss and those who were born in Switzerland to parents who were born abroad. 

The study, published on Thursday, analysed 68 integration indicators to compare how equal opportunities were between people with and without a migration background. 

It found that, of people without a migration background, 54.5% had a lot of faith in the Swiss police, 46.2% in the legal system and only 36.1% in the political system. The rate was “significantly higher” among people with a migration background, with the greatest difference seen in attitudes towards the police – the level of trust was 1.4 times greater among those with a migration background. 

The study noted that differences in income and living conditions between people with and without a migration background had barely changed over the past five years. 

One difference, however, concerned political participation. Between 2010 and 2013 the proportion of people with a migration background who took part in national votes dropped by ten percentage points. The level remained the same for Swiss without a migration background.