Swedish Trust in NATO Falls Amid Rising Confidence in National Institutions

Recent survey data reveals a significant decline in Swedish citizens' trust in NATO, with only 47% expressing strong or moderate confidence in the alliance, marking a 10 percentage point drop from the previous year. This downturn is attributed to the changing global order affecting public perceptions of the defense alliance. In stark contrast, national institutions in Sweden continue to enjoy robust and in some cases increasing trust. For example, Systembolaget, the state-owned alcohol retailer, saw its trust level rise slightly to 73%. The police remain the most trusted institution with a 75% confidence rate, followed by the Swedish Armed Forces at 69%. Additionally, the Swedish royal family reached a record high of 53%, surpassing trust levels in the state, parliament, and government.

The central bank, Riksbanken, experienced a notable trust boost of 15 percentage points, now at 64%. Public trust in Swedish media varies; Sveriges Radio holds a 65% trust level, though this is down from 76% in 2013, while tabloids Aftonbladet and Expressen scored the lowest at 18% and 16%, respectively. Political parties generally saw increasing trust except for the Liberals, whose confidence rating fell to 7%. The data is based on 2,500 online interviews with individuals aged 16 to 84 from a randomly selected Sifo panel.

This divergence in trust trends between international alliances like NATO and domestic institutions underscores a shifting landscape in Swedish public confidence amid global uncertainties.