It is a noticeably larger proportion that has received a more negative view of the future for Sweden as a country, says Magnus Jägerskog, director-general of the Agency for Youth and Civil Society Issues (MUCF).
Since the agency's last survey on democracy and social issues was conducted in 2018, several things have happened that have affected young people's view of the development in the country, he explains.
We have had a pandemic, war in our immediate area, a completely different international uncertainty. We have also had a development with more shootings and gang crime.
Safety and order
Social issues such as safety and law and order have increased in importance among young people since 2018, something Magnus Jägerskog also believes is connected to an increasingly turbulent world.
At the same time, a majority, seven out of ten, are willing to contribute to civil society in a crisis and the proportion who are positive to defense has increased.
Only 36 percent have an optimistic view of the future for Sweden, while 68 percent see optimistically on their own future. Magnus Jägerskog highlights that the own opportunities are something many see that they can actually influence themselves.
Want to engage
Nine out of ten young people think it is important to live in a democratic country, but only one in five think they have the opportunity to express their opinions to decision-making politicians.
Many young people want to engage in different ways. But they think it's hard.
And I think this is an important message to politicians ahead of the election year. Young people want to be involved. Young people have confidence in democracy, but they do not think they have the opportunity to influence and conduct a dialogue today.
68 percent of young people have an optimistic view of their own future, but only 36 percent see a bright future for Sweden. Only 17 percent have an optimistic view of the world's future.
Healthcare is the social issue that most people think is important, followed by school and education. Safety, law and order are among the issues that are increasing in priority among young people.
Nine out of ten young people think it is important to live in a democratic country and over 70 percent are satisfied with how democracy works in Sweden.
The survey was sent out in the spring of 2024 to a total of 15,000 randomly selected individuals between the ages of 16 and 74. 12,000 were young people between the ages of 16 and 29 and 3,000 in an older comparison group between 30 and 74 years.
Source: Agency for Youth and Civil Society Issues (MUCF)
