Swiss youths admit to shoplifting and vandalism, study found

Shoplifting is the most common form of juvenile delinquency in Switzerland, according to a wide-ranging study. Keystone / Katharina Heimeier

Teenagers in Switzerland most often commit shoplifting or carry weapons according to a major international study on juvenile delinquency.

Acts of vandalism come in third place. In terms of violence, fights between groups are the most common.

This survey on juvenile delinquency, published on Thursday is the largest in the world and was conducted in 49 countries as part of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study.

Compared to the previous survey in 2013, juvenile delinquency and victimisation experiences increased in Switzerland. Unlike adults, young people talk about their offences, the study authors said.

For youth violence, 6.4% of respondents aged 14 and 15 participated in a group fight in the year prior to the survey. 2.6% assaulted a person and inflicted serious injuries on the victim. 1.3% reported robbing others with a weapon, violence or serious threat.

Shoplifting was the most common offence with 15%. Another 10.3% carried firearms, batons, knives or other weapons. 9.4% committed acts of vandalism and 5.5% trafficked or assisted in trafficking drugs.

Grand larceny, on the other hand, was relatively rare. Just 1.5% admitted to burglary, 1.1% to vehicle theft. Online, 5% committed hate crimes, 2.9% sent intimate pictures against their will. Online fraud and hacking were each admitted by 2.7%. 

Online questionnaire

In Switzerland, 11,019 randomly selected young people filled out the online questionnaire anonymously during a lesson under the supervision of a teacher. The majority of them were between 14 and 15 years old. They were surveyed from May to July 2021 in most of the country’s cantons.

The current study, carried out in Switzerland by the universities of applied science in Zurich and Fribourg, is the fourth of its kind since 1992/1993.

The latest figures compare with official statistics about juvenile convictions in Switzerland, published in June. The data showed that a total of 20,902 convictions – 7.5% more than in 2020 – were handed down against young people last year.