Income was the decisive factor in the perception of fairness, according to the survey results.
Keystone-SDA
More than half of people in Switzerland feel that social conditions in the country are ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ unfair. These are the findings of a representative survey published on Monday on behalf of the magazine Beobachter.
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Since the last Justice Barometer conducted two years ago, the first such survey conducted by the gfs.bern research institute, dissatisfaction in Switzerland has increased. A third of respondents in 2026 felt that the system is “not very fair”, while 18% said it is “not fair at all”.
According to the representative survey, for which gfs.bern interviewed around 2,000 people, income was the decisive factor in the perception of fairness. There was an even greater divide between social classes than in the first survey, Beobachter magazine stated on Monday. “Those who have little feel significantly more disadvantaged by the system,” the magazine said.
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While two-thirds of the wealthy are satisfied with current conditions, three-quarters of low-income earners see things differently. According to Beobachter, the percentage of those who felt they were treated “fairly” or “very fairly” has fallen from 68% to 56% since 2024. Opinion researcher Cloé Jans from gfs.bern explained that, in the end, it all boils down to who benefits and who bears the burden.
Money decides who gets justice
According to her, the cost issue is currently at the centre of almost everything, be it rent, health insurance premiums or the old-age pension system. On an individual level, people’s own wallets are under pressure and politically there are arguments about projects worth billions, Jans told Beobachter. Fewer and fewer people believe that performance also brings prosperity.
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In addition to environmental and equality issues, 81% of respondents were concerned about high litigation and legal costs. More and more people shared the concern that justice in Switzerland had become for sale. Despite the criticism, however, “trust in the core of the state remains crisis-proof”, the magazine added.
Although Switzerland is currently in a heated debate, it is still doing so on a “common foundation of democracy, freedom and education”, it concluded.
Translated from German with AI/gw
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