Justice Barometer 2026: Confidence in the justice system is falling significantly

Perceptions of fairness in Switzerland are increasingly shaped by people’s own financial circumstances. This is particularly evident when comparing income groups: whilst 65 per cent of those with a monthly household income of over 13,000 Swiss francs consider the system to be fair, the figure drops to just 27 per cent among those earning less than 3,000 Swiss francs. This gap runs through almost all areas covered by the survey. Those with fewer financial resources feel significantly more often that they are at a disadvantage, for example in the face of rising living costs or when it comes to access to justice. Overall, the perception of fairness is thus shifting away from general principles towards concrete material experiences in everyday life. Money is increasingly becoming the key yardstick for whether the system is considered fair or unbalanced.

The injustices perceived as particularly serious clearly centre on issues of distribution and prioritisation. The most frequently cited view, at 50 per cent, is that foreign offenders are deported too rarely. Close behind, at 48 per cent, is the criticism that politicians tend to represent the interests of business rather than those of ‘ordinary people’. The discrepancy between income and the cost of living is also heavily weighted: 45 per cent believe that wage growth is not keeping pace with rising costs. At 43 per cent, the unequal distribution of paid and unpaid work between the sexes is also among the most frequently cited issues. This cluster of concerns suggests that different issues are being assessed in the context of an overarching question of distribution: the focus is on how costs and burdens are distributed – and who benefits from the existing structures.

The results show that several lines of social conflict are intensifying simultaneously and, in some cases, overlapping. The generational divide is particularly pronounced: more than half of 16- to 39-year-olds say they are worse off financially than their parents were at the same age, whereas only 18 per cent of those aged over 65 share this view. Perceptions also diverge widely on the issue of sustainability: 59 per cent of younger people feel it is unfair that older generations are living at their expense, compared with just 26 per cent of older people.

Another key difference is evident between the sexes. For instance, 91 per cent of women consider pay gaps to be unfair, compared with 65 per cent of men. At the same time, 38 per cent of men adopt a neutral stance on issues of power distribution, whilst women are significantly more likely to perceive structural disadvantages. When it comes to unpaid care work, too, over 60 per cent of women criticise the unequal distribution, whilst men attach less importance to this issue.

These differing perspectives compound the existing social disparities between income groups. Overall, a picture emerges in which several divides – between young and old, between women and men, and between the financially better-off and the less well-off – are simultaneously deepening and increasingly fragmenting the shared understanding of justice.

Access to justice is viewed as a particularly critical issue by a large majority of the population. A total of 81 per cent of respondents consider it unfair that financial resources play a decisive role in determining whether someone can pursue and win a legal case. On the scale used, ranging from –5 (‘very unfair’) to +5 (‘very fair’), this statement achieved an average score of –3.1. Criticism is not limited to low-income groups: even among households with a monthly income of over 13,000 Swiss francs, 31 per cent consider this situation to be ‘very unfair’. In the middle income group (CHF 7,000 to 9,000), this proportion stands at 42 per cent; for incomes below CHF 3,000, it rises to 61 per cent. The results show that it is not so much the judgements themselves, but above all the financial hurdles and access to the legal system that are perceived as problematic.

At the same time, trust in key institutions remains largely intact. Direct democracy, fundamental freedoms and security in the public and legal spheres continue to be viewed in a clearly positive light. The education system and social security are also regarded by many as cornerstones of social stability. Criticism is therefore directed less at the institutional foundations of the system and more at issues of distribution and access.