Two out of three Swedes want Sweden to become a member of NATO, shows a survey by Aftonbladet/Demoskop.
In addition, almost every second Swede is worried about an increased military threat from Russia.
– The main argument they put forward is that they don’t believe that we in Sweden can defend ourselves, says Karin Nelsson, CEO at demoskop.
It has been a little more than a year since Sweden’s government made a decision that Sweden should apply to join NATO. At the time, 61 percent of Swedes thought that Sweden should be a member, according to a survey with Aftonbladet/Demoskop.
Today, that has increased to 65 percent, i.e. approximately two out of three Swedes.
– The opinion has been stable since a year ago. The Swedish people are in favor of this process.
Those who are positive about NATO membership highlight that we cannot defend ourselves as the strongest argument.
– But they also think that NATO has a deterrent effect, and that we belong together with the other NATO countries.
Since February, it can be seen that the concern about a military threat from Russia has increased. Karin Nelsson believes that it has to do with recent developments, for example the events at midsummer, when the Wagner group marched towards Moscow.
– Many are worried that the war will spread outside of Ukraine, says Karin Nelsson, CEO at Demoskop.
About the survey
The survey was carried out by Demoskop on behalf of Aftonbladet within the framework of the Inizio panel, which reflects the Swedish people. The target group is the general public aged 18 and over. The survey includes 1370 interviews during the period 26 June – 4 July 2023 and is conducted as a web survey.
The selection is pre-stratified and weighted by age, gender, region and party in the previous election.
Join our opinion panel
Do you want to take part and answer Demoskop’s surveys where we find out what the Swedish people think about, for example, social issues and politics? Results are presented, among other things, in Aftonbladet. Answering is voluntary, you are anonymous and can opt out whenever you want. Click on the link to sign up.