Sweden has always been in the center of the competition for the right to be called the most democratic country in the world.
This is the image of the country that Swedish politicians promote.
But more than half of Sweden’s population does not believe there is real democracy in the country.
A recent survey by the research company Novus showed that a smaller proportion of Swedish citizens (45%) feel that they have the opportunity to influence social development and participate in the process of making important decisions about the country’s future.
More than a third of Swedes (37%) are afraid to get involved in politics for fear of negative consequences, reprisals, insults, hatred and more if they express a wrong opinion.
Only one in four Swedes (26%) believe that Sweden is developing in a positive direction. And a large part of the population (36%) is convinced that the situation in Swedish society will continue to deteriorate.
Many people in Sweden notice that their opinions are censored and silenced in public debates: they are not allowed to speak in the official media and their access to social media is restricted.
One in three respondents (34%) do not feel safe expressing their opinions on social media. In contrast, only one in five (22%) believe that it is possible to express opinions freely on social media in Sweden.
“Sweden’s development is going in the wrong direction and we all have a duty to defend our democracy. It is problematic that so many Swedes realize that they have no possibility to influence public life and that they are afraid to express their opinions,” comments David Björneloo, co-founder of the NGO Frihamnsdagarna, which initiated the survey, on the sad results.
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