Researchers from CSMS have participated in the SOM Institute's national opinion survey since 2011.
The SOM Institute is an impartial research organisation at the University of Gothenburg. Since 1986, the SOM Institute has worked with researchers from various fields to highlight opinions and understand Swedish societal development. From the beginning, the SOM Institute has focused on Swedes' habits, behaviours, opinions, and values regarding society, politics, and media. The Swedish population's views on defence and security policy are examined, and results are published in the annual The SOM Book.
2012 When War Comes. The Swedes and the New Defence Policy. If War Comes was an informational pamphlet for all Swedish households about shelters, chemical warfare, and other implications of war on Swedish soil. New editions were continuously issued during the Cold War until 1983. The telephone directory also contained If War Comes information until the late 1980s. Although the threat of war has now been dismissed, war has still arrived in Sweden, albeit in a different form...
2013 After Afghanistan? Defence, War and the Swedes. The Swedish defence's most violent mission in modern times, the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan, is in its final stages towards 2014. Sweden and other Western countries are in the process of dismantling and withdrawing the ISAF operation, whose hopes for a swift military victory followed by the establishment of democracy and modern institutions have been dashed...
2014 Different Worlds? Defence, Politicians and the Swedes. On Good Friday night, March 29, 2013, Russian bombers rehearsed attacks on targets in the Stockholm region and southern Sweden without any Swedish fighter jets being scrambled to meet them. The attention following Svenska Dagbladet's report on the incident (Holmström, 2013) initiated a broader debate about the Swedish defence, a debate that engaged even those outside the blogger “Wiseman's” defence-interested readership...
2015 Turbulent Times - Swedes' Opinions on Defence, Russia, NATO and the Swedish Defence. The situation in the Nordic region has increasingly developed into a security dilemma. Should Russia's aggressive actions in the Baltic Sea region be seen as a sign of expansionism or concern for Russia's own security? How does the security dilemma affect opinions on NATO membership, concern about developments in the world, trust in the Swedish defence, and attitudes towards Swedish participation in international military operations against the Islamic State/Daesh?...
2016 Defence on the Rise and IS as an Evil Symbol.
2017 Back to the Future? Swedes' Views on Defence, Conscription and NATO. Swedish defence policy is changing. Over a decade of defence policy focusing on military missions outside Sweden's borders has been replaced by an equally clear focus on rebuilding national defence capabilities. In this chapter, we discuss what this change means for the defence's legitimacy with the Swedish population and how it relates to changes in Swedish security and defence policy opinion...
2018 A New Dawn for Defence? Swedish Defence Policy in Popular Favour. The long-term trend of declining trust among Swedes in the defence has been broken. In the 2017 national SOM survey, the defence notes its second-highest confidence balance (the proportion stating high confidence minus the proportion stating low confidence) ever (+20), and over three out of four Swedes state that a strong Swedish defence is important...
2019 The Return of Defence and Geopolitics. Sweden has radically changed its defence policy in recent years based on a reassessment of Russia's intentions and developments. Globally, conflict perspectives have also become more prominent, with deteriorating relations between the USA and China being the most significant. The return of geopolitics is coupled with an increased focus on the national and territorial.
2020 Swedish Defence Policy in New Terrain. The spring of 2019 saw the defence policy debate marked by broad political agreement that the Swedish defence required a significant financial boost. But what impact does the defence policy debate have on voters' views on defence and security policy issues? Did the consensus on increased defence spending mean that citizens' support for more resources for the defence increased?
2021 The Return of the Cold War. Swedes' support for a strong military defence remains robust, as does the willingness to maintain or increase the level of defence spending. Regarding Swedish NATO membership, opinion remains divided, with voters generally adopting the same stance as their respective parties. Citizens consider a range of potential defence tasks important, including assisting the police in operations against serious crime.
2022 The Rise and Fall of the Hultqvist Doctrine? The results from autumn 2021 show strong public support for the current defence policy, sometimes called the “Hultqvist Doctrine”, focusing on the defence of Sweden, conscription, rearmament, and close cooperation with NATO without membership. Swedes' confidence in the defence continues a positive long-term trend, despite a majority not believing that the defence could defend Sweden against an armed attack. A majority of Swedes also believe that the effects of climate change increase the risk of conflict between countries.
