Basel, Switzerland - The overwhelming majority of Swiss citizens want to protect their country's banking secrecy laws, a poll released Wednesday showed, in spite of international pressure for change.

The survey, conducted for the Swiss Bankers Association by M. I. S Trend, based in Lausanne, indicated a drop from the previous year, when 81 per cent of those interviewed supported bank-client confidentiality.

Switzerland's largest bank, UBS, remained entangled in a tax fraud investigation in the United States which has thrown a spotlight on the confidentiality afforded by the Alpine nation.

Last month, the bank admitted wrongdoings by employees, paid a hefty fine of 780 million dollars and transferred data on some 300 clients to the authorities in Washington.

The annual poll, which surveyed 1,004 adults and had an sampling error of 3.1 per cent, was conducted before UBS transferred the data, a move which sparked controversy and added to the uncertainty over the future of the banking secrecy laws.

The US is still demanding that the bank reveal information on 52,000 more clients, though UBS has said it would refuse to hand over additional data as it would violate Swiss law.

The banking secrecy legislation allows for disclosures in the event of tax fraud but not tax evasion, which is considered a lesser offense.

Swiss ministers have indicated they would be willing to reopen the books and conduct negotiations on the existing legislation, including on the distinction between fraud and evasion.

Some observers have raised concerns that Switzerland might find itself on blacklists as a tax haven if it did not augment its banking rules. (dpa)