Swedish Public Trust High for Police and Healthcare but Politicians Face Rising Harassment

A recent survey by the SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg sheds new light on the Swedish public's trust in key institutions and the escalating threats faced by politicians.

The 2025 SOM survey reveals the highest trust levels in police and healthcare professionals, with 74% of respondents expressing confidence in the police and 80% in healthcare workers. Healthcare and higher education institutions also enjoy considerable trust, at 70% and 63% respectively. In contrast, politicians experience markedly low trust: only 27% trust national politicians and 21% trust local politicians, a stagnation in public confidence over the past two decades. Interestingly, journalists are trusted twice as much as politicians, with over 40% public trust, although this is still below the healthcare sector.

Despite these high trust levels in some public sectors, the political climate is increasingly toxic. Politicians face mounting harassment, especially during election periods. Therez Almerfors, an opposition councilor in Uppsala, recounted threats received during the EU election campaign, including verbal assaults and derogatory attacks. Carina Sammeli, a municipal councilor, described escalating aggressive behavior such as being spat on, warning that the increasing hostility deters political participation.

Research from the Crime Prevention Council (Brottsförebyggande rådet) highlights that only 14% of harassment victims report incidents, mainly due to skepticism about justice system effectiveness. The data shows one in four elected officials faced threats or harassment in 2024, with women disproportionately targeted by personal and sexualized attacks compared to men, whose harassment centers more on political disagreements. Social media's normalization of aggressive rhetoric fuels this hostile environment, posing serious threats to democratic engagement.

These findings suggest a paradox in Swedish society: while institutions like police and healthcare maintain strong public trust, politicians grapple with rising hostility and declining confidence, challenging the foundations of democratic participation.