Strong support for democracy, but concern persists

Swedish democracy enjoys almost unanimous public support, but more and more people believe it is under threat. That is according to this year’s edition of the Novus Democracy Report 2026, which points to a widening gap between citizens and decision-makers and growing concern about the future of democracy. Just over one in three Swedes say they see democracy as threatened, even though the entire population believes it is worth defending.

The report is produced in collaboration with LO, Saco and TCO (Sweden’s three main trade union confederations), Skandia and Peab. Read the report here (in Swedish).

This year’s results show that the share who are worried about democracy in Sweden has fallen from 44 per cent to 37 per cent. However, many voters, 32 per cent, still believe that today’s politicians are weakening democracy. 100 per cent believe democracy is worth defending.

“We are seeing a change in how the Swedish public perceives the role of politicians in democracy. The share who believe politicians are weakening democracy is falling. One in ten Swedes now believe they strengthen it, while three in ten still see the opposite.

This is linked to how trust in political leaders has changed. In the past, you could trust a politician even without sharing their values. That pattern has shifted. Today, trust tends to follow party sympathies rather than being broader,” comments Torbjörn Sjöström, opinion analyst and Chairman of the Board at Novus.

Other findings from the survey:

• Almost five in ten believe that influence campaigns and fake news on social media are the biggest threat to democracy
• Almost four in ten would turn to the news media if society goes wrong
• Almost six in ten believe that Swedish news media deliberately slant the news to suit their own agenda
• One in three would avoid posting their opinions online for fear of being publicly associated with them
• The share (just over seven in ten) who want to get involved has increased slightly compared with last year, and the increase is entirely among those who want to get involved in local associations

About the survey

The Democracy Report maps how the Swedish public views democracy right now, and this year includes new questions of particular relevance ahead of the autumn election. The survey has tracked Swedes’ attitudes to democracy for five years and is intended to serve as a fact-based basis for the democracy debate. The survey was commissioned by Novus together with its partners: LO, Saco, TCO, Skandia and Peab. Most of the questions have been asked in previous years, and the trend is reported for each individual question.

Number of interviews: 1,031

Fieldwork period: 27 May – 5 June 2026

The survey was conducted via web interviews in Novus’ randomly recruited Sweden Panel, which ensures representative results. This means the results can be generalised to the target population.

The Democracy Report 2026 in brief