Partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland

Abstract

The article reports results from two nationally representative survey studies from Switzerland. In 2018 and again in 2021 adults who lived together with a partner at the time of the survey were asked about their experience of various forms of partner violence in the last 12 months. The results show that there has not been an increase in intimate partner violence over time. The proportion of respondents who experienced psychological violence was 13.8% (2018 survey) and 11.7% (2021 survey), while the proportions of respondents who experienced physical violence were 2.9% and 3.1%, respectively; however, a stability of prevalence rates was not found for all demographic groups: Among younger respondents, there was an increase in experiences of physical violence.