Theft survey reveals habits of sticky-fingered Swiss

'Have you scanned all of your products?' Not all Swiss do. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Four out of ten Swiss have taken public transport without buying a ticket. But many people can’t resist pinching stuff from restaurants, hotels and especially their office, according to a survey.

From shoplifting to fare-dodging, the representative Petty Theft Survey 2022External link published on Tuesday by moneyland.ch, an independent online comparison service, shows where and how often residents of Switzerland have stolen goods or used paid services without actually paying for them.

The 1,500 participants were asked about the locations and situations in which they had stolen or failed to pay for something, and how often this occurred. Only around 40% of respondents said that they had never engaged in theft.

The most common form of stealing is fare evasion on public transport. Almost four out of ten (39%) respondents said they had deliberately fare-dodged; 18% had done this more than once.

“Riding the rails is more socially acceptable than shoplifting, for example. That may be a reason why Swiss occasionally take public transportation without the necessary ticket,” said moneyland.ch CEO Benjamin Manz.

Sticky-fingered in restaurants

More than a quarter (27%) admitted to having nicked something from their workplace at least once. Hotels are another popular target for theft, with 23% of participants saying they had stolen from a hotel.

People are somewhat less likely to be sticky-fingered in restaurants and in shops. Nevertheless, around one in six people said they had cheated at the self-scanning checkout at a major retailer.

Locations which are least likely to experience theft by residents of Switzerland include phone dealers, banks and the post office.

Role of wealth

The survey also showed that the tendency to steal is stronger among men than women and among young people than old people.

Failing to pay at restaurants is a particularly male tendency. Men are also much more likely to shoplift from supermarkets than women are.

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,” Manz said. For almost every point listed, residents with personal wealth of between CHF50,000 ($52,000) and CHF100,000 are most likely to have stolen at least once. Stealing is least common among residents with fortunes of CHF300,000 to CHF500,000.