Experience of racial discrimination

Relevance/Result

Recommended by the EU, this subjective indicator reflects an aspect of co-existence between the different population groups that can hinder the integration process. The indicator provides information on the extent to which people have experienced racial discrimination. Integration can be greatly hampered if the population are subject to discrimination.

As of 2016, results come from the Survey on diversity and coexistence in Switzerland (VeS). They can, therefore, not be compared directly with results from previous years.

In 2018, 17% of the permanent resident population aged 15 and over suffered at least one racial discrimination experience related to at least one of the following characteristics: nationality, religion, ethnic origins, skin colour or other distinctive physical features. Among the population without a migration background, the rate was 10%. In the population with a migration background, it was 28%; i.e. almost three times more.

Trends over time

Between 2010 and 2014, an increase could be seen in the percentage of the population that had experienced racial discrimination due to their nationality, ethnicity, religion or because of their appearance. This increase is greater among foreign nationals (+12.6% percentage points) than among Swiss nationals (+2.3 percentage points).

Due to changes in the methodology, it is not possible to compare the years from 2010 to 2014 with the years 2016 and 2018. Between 2016 and 2018, only the population with a migration background experienced a significant increase in racial discrimination (+5.5 percentage points). The increase was even greater among foreign nationals (+8.2 percentage points).

As this experience of racial discrimination is based on self-assessment, it is possible that the observed increase is linked to an increase in awareness of the phenomenon of discrimination rather than an increase in the number of cases.

Language region

There is no difference in the proportion of the populating stating that they have experienced racial discrimination between the different language regions. In contrast, in all language regions, the proportion of the population with a migration background that have experienced discrimination is significantly higher than in the population without a migration background. In German and Romansh-speaking Switzerland the difference between the two populations is greatest (29% compared with 9%; i.e. three times greater).

Situation

In 2018, 62% of victims of racial discrimination stated that this most often took place in socio-economic situations (when house or job-hunting, or at school or work). Discrimination experienced in a context of social interaction (in public spaces, entering a restaurant, club or discotheque, during leisure activities or in an association), was observed in 38% of cases.

The only type of situation in which a significant difference can be observed between the population with and without a migration background is social interaction. The population without a migration background is significantly more likely to experience racial discrimination than the population with a migration background (51% compared with 30%).

Definitions
Methodologies

Discrimination describes any action that denies a person certain rights, that treats them unfairly or intolerantly, that threatens or humiliates them or puts them in danger. Racial discrimination is when the above actions are carried out on account of the discriminated person's physical characteristics, their ethnicity, religious beliefs or because of their culture or nationality. By racism we mean an ideology that classifies people into groups, on the basis of real or imagined differences which are deemed to be unalterable. Racists claim that people belong to a certain group by giving them pseudo-biological origins or a common culture. Racists emphasise the differences - real or imagined - to justify inequalities between groups or to defend privileges.

With regard to the integration, only cases of discrimination related to nationality, religion, ethnic origins, skin colour or other distinctive physical features were taken into account.

The number of people having experienced racial discrimination in the 5 years preceding the survey was divided by the number of persons in the population group by sex, age, nationality, place of birth, level of education, language region and degree of urbanisation. The indicator is expressed as a percentage.

Victims were able to indicate several situations in which they had experienced an act of racial discrimination. This meant that we were able to deduce how often each type of situation occurred in relation to all the situations taken together.

- The “socio-professional or economic situations” category lists cases experienced when looking for housing, when applying for a job or an apprenticeship position, at school, during higher education, at work on a day-to-day basis.
- The “public and state institutions” category lists cases of discrimination experienced in public administration, in the health sector, during contacts with the police, army or social assistance.
- The “social interaction” category includes cases experienced in public spaces, when entering a restaurant, club or discotheque, during leisure activities, sport or in associations.
- The “family and private sphere” category includes cases experienced in individuals’ private lives or within their family.
- Lastly, for situations not mentioned, the act of discrimination is classified under “Other situations”.

The isolated results for the cumulated years 2010, 2012 and 2014 shown here come from the SG-FDHA pilot project “Survey on diversity and coexistence in Switzerland”.

As of 2016, the results shown here come from the Survey on diversity and coexistence in Switzerland (VeS), conducted by the FSO.

You can access the indicators in one of the following ways

All indicators

Some 68 indicators describe the current situation and changes in the integration of the population with a migration background and/or of foreign nationals in Switzerland in eleven areas of life in our society.

Key indicators

34 key indicators provide an overview of the progress made on the journey towards integration and the state of integration of the population with a migration background. If this information is lacking, the population is shown by nationality, and where this variable is available, the country of birth.