Cash In The Constitution: A Swiss Decision On An International Issue

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) With people worldwide concerned about a possible decline of cash, Sunday's vote could be seen as a signal, says an internationally renowned advocate. But conspiracy theories are never far away from cash, as an analysis with sociological perspectives explains. Select your language

Generated with artificial intelligence. Listening: Cash in the constitution: a Swiss decision on an international issue This content was published on March 8, 2026 - 18:38 8 minutes

As a reporter I cover developments in democracy where the Swiss perspective becomes relevant. I am Swiss and have long been fascinated by the way public discussions shape society.

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With Sunday's national vote, Switzerland has enshrined the preservation of cash in its federal constitution. The official information booklet for the vote, provided by the government, stated that this shift would have no impact on everyday life – nor involve any new tasks or costs.

However, on a symbolic level at least, many people seem to value the fact that cash is now explicitly anchored at constitutional level and not just in normal law – and this includes people outside Switzerland.

An important signal to the world

South African anthropologist and activist Brett Scott told Swissinfo before the vote that it would be an“important moment of signalling to the rest of the world” if Switzerland were to enshrine cash in its constitution. Banks have promoted digital payments for decades, Scott points out. In this context, he adds, it is important when a country takes a clear position that it wants to protect cash.

Scott, who advocates in his books for the preservation of physical money, lists many reasons why cash is important to people.“Some are specific to cash payments, others are more generally about digital society,” he says.

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For example, Scott explains, elderly people and people with disabilities or visual impairments depend on cash, as do people with less money, since it's easier to keep to a tight budget with cash. On top of this,“people with low incomes often don't trust the banking sector; middle-class people, on the other hand, tend to trust in institutions,” he says. And in general, many people have a“nostalgic attachment” to cash.

Support from various backgrounds

At the societal level, cash supporters can have very different backgrounds. Scott mentions national security experts, for example, who worry about the“serious security threat” when people don't have access to cash. Equally critical are“libertarian communities concerned about surveillance by digital systems”, people who are against Big Tech or the financial industry, or those who want to maintain an offline life.

But many also value cash for its“informal economy element”, says Scott.“Lots of people like to preserve an informal sphere for themselves – they don't want institutions between themselves and their life.” Collection plates in church or poker games at home would be strange without cash, Scott adds. Who wants to use a Visa card in church?

It is not expected that the vote on Sunday will slow down the declining importance of notes and coins in everyday life in Switzerland.

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The importance of cash in many people's lives also becomes clear when talking with Swiss sociologist Nadine Frei, who wrote a dissertation on the everyday understanding of money.“In interviews, I often encountered the notion that 'only cash is real' – cash is seen as real money in contrast to digital money, to which a certain artificiality is attached,” she says.

Frei thinks this is connected to a need for control.“Money is attributed a seductive power that needs to be resisted and controlled,” she says.“When it's tangible, it's viewed with a certain control.” People don't want to get into debt or spend money on unnecessary things, and many imagine that they can control this better with cash, Frei explains.

“Digital money is associated both with a certain abstraction and an immediacy,” says Frei.

For her, criticism about how digital methods of payments can socially exclude certain groups is often legitimate – yet she also raises proximities to conspiratorial thinking.

Read about how Switzerland compares to its neighbours in Europe when it comes to dropping – or preserving – cash:

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