In Sweden, support for the common currency, the euro, has almost doubled in a year. Now almost every third Swede supports the transition to the euro.
GOTHENBURG Swedes’ opinions are changing. Less than two weeks ago, Sweden joined NATO, even though the majority of citizens were strictly against the defense alliance until spring 2022.
Now the University of Gothenburg extensive, annual survey says that the attitude towards the common currency, the euro, has also changed rapidly. At the end of 2023, there were almost twice as many supporters of the euro than a year earlier.
In 2022, 16 percent of respondents supported the common currency, at the end of 2023, 30 percent. Opposition has dropped from 56 percent to 43 percent in a year. Of the respondents, 27 percent had no position on the euro.
Researcher Markus Johansson from Gothenburg the university speculates that the reason for the change of mind is the weak exchange rate of the krona, which has made, for example, holiday trips expensive for Swedes. Today, Thursday, one euro cost 11.36 euros.
According to Johansson, the strongest support for the euro is among the People’s Party, i.e. liberals and coalition members, but now the euro has made friends in other parties as well.
According to Johansson, the Swedes will not give up the crown at lightning speed, but the benefits of the common currency may well become a central topic of discussion in the European elections in early June.
Swedes voted to switch to the euro in September 2003, just a few days after the foreign minister Anna Lindhin after the murder. Lindh campaigned strongly for joining the monetary union. The referendum defeated the euro intentions, as 55.9 percent of Swedes opposed and 42 supported the transition to the euro.