Norwegian Citizens Research Articles

College quality and hourly wages: Evidence from the self-revelation model, sibling models and instrumental variables

This paper addresses the recent discussion on confounding in the returns to college quality literature using the Norwegian case. The main advantage of studying Norway is the quality of the data. Norwegian administrative data provide information on college applications, family relations and a rich set of control variables for all Norwegian citizens applying to college between 1997 and 2004 (N=141,319) and their succeeding wages between 2003 and 2010 (676,079 person-year observations). With these data, this paper uses a subset of the models that have rendered mixed findings in the literature in order to investigate to what extent confounding biases the returns to college quality. I compare estimates obtained using standard regression models to estimates obtained using the self-revelation model of Dale and Krueger (2002), a sibling fixed effects model and the instrumental variable model used by Long (2008). Using these methods, I consistently find increasing returns to college quality over the course of students’ work careers, with positive returns only later in students’ work careers. I conclude that the standard regression estimate provides a reasonable estimate of the returns to college quality.

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Iris Furu presents findings from her master’s thesis in Rhetoric and Communication in which she studies the language used in different kinds of informing texts and forms from NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. Expecting parents in Norway can apply for parental benefits from NAV by filling out a specific form. What makes these forms the way they are, and do Norwegian parents understand how to fill them out? Through qualitative interviews with both NAV employees and Norwegian citizens, Furu has provided a closer look into the communication processes between the state and the citizens in Norway. By looking at the statements from both sender and recipient she has been able to show what happens when the communication between the system and the user is successful – and when it fails.

Health-related quality of life in long-term survivors after renal cancer treatment

Objective. The most important outcome of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treatment is survival. However, all cancer treatment should evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcome of the treatment. This has not been sufficiently documented in RCC. The aim of this investigation was therefore to document the HRQoL outcome of RCC. Material and methods. All 413 RCC patients treated with radical or partial nephrectomy at Haukeland University Hospital, Norway, during the period 1997--2010 were included. After exclusions, invitations to participate were mailed to 260 patients; 185 patients (71%) returned the questionnaires. In addition, a cohort of general head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients, a cohort of laryngectomized HNSCC patients, and a cohort from the general population of Norway, were used to compare the RCC patients' HRQoL scores. Results. Performance status as measured by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) classification at diagnosis showed an inverse relation to HRQoL [maximum coefficient of variation (CVmax) = 5.3%, p < 0.05]. Flank and open transabdominal approaches to RCC tumour resection were followed by reduced HRQoL compared with a general cohort of Norwegian citizens. However, the laparoscopically treated RCC patients had HRQoL scores at the level of the population. The indices “general health/QoL”, the functional indices, and the symptom indices “fatigue”, “pain”, “sleep”, “nausea and vomiting”, “constipation” and “diarrhoea” were particularly affected. Conclusion. The results show that RCC patients, and in particular those treated by a flank approach but not those treated by minimal invasive surgery, have a multifacetedly reduced HRQoL compared to a general population cohort.

Electricity, Uncertainty and the Good Life. A Comparison of French and Norwegian Household Responses to Policy Appeals for Sustainable Energy

Targeted by policies on sustainable energy, ordinary men and women are also engaged in the routines and concerns of everyday life. This paper asks to what extent French and Norwegian households link global warming to their own electricity use. Furthermore, we study people’s rationales for selecting renewable sources and reducing electricity consumption at home. Empirical material was collected in France and Norway. We draw on a practice theory framework. The purpose of the paper is to use a comparative analysis for highlighting important aspects of the electricity cultures in each country, thereby accounting for why the French and the Norwegians respond to appeals for sustainable energy in the ways they do. The results show that people in both countries tend to regard their own electricity use as disconnected from global warming. This is partly due to the high share of non-fossil power production in both countries, but we also suggest that certain denial mechanisms reinforce the idea that electricity consumption is disconnected from environmental challenges. The French respondents relate to the state-owned supplier EDF. They are preoccupied with physical and financial risks and regard electricity as a necessity. Conversely, the Norwegians value electricity in itself as a non-problematic good to which they think they have a claim as Norwegian citizens. Although the cost of electricity has an equal share of the household budget in both countries, the French practice a savings culture to a much greater extent than Norwegians do.

The day Norway cried: Proximity and distress in Norwegian citizens following the 22nd July 2011 terrorist attacks in Oslo and on Utøya Island

Background: Terrorism may create fear and stress reactions not only in the direct victims, but also in the general population.Objective: This study investigated emotional responses in the Norwegian population following the 22nd July 2011 terrorist attacks. We hypothesized that Oslo residents would report a higher level of fear responses compared with people living outside Oslo and that proximity would be associated with early distress and later post-traumatic stress reactions.Method: Representative samples were drawn from the Norwegian Population Registry. Telephone interviews were conducted 4–5 months after the attacks. The response rate for the Oslo sample (N=465) was 24% of the total sample, and 43% of those who were actually reached by phone and asked to participate. Corresponding figures for the sample living outside Oslo (N=716) were 19% and 30%.Results: Our results show strong immediate emotional responses, particularly sadness and a feeling of unreality, in both samples. Jumpiness and other fear responses were significantly higher among Oslo residents. Current level of risk perception was low 4–5 months after the attacks; however, a significant minority reported to feel less safe than before. Geographical and psychological proximity were associated with early emotional responses. Psychological proximity was significantly associated with post-traumatic stress reactions, while measures of geographical proximity were not. Immediate emotional responses, first-week reactions, and first-week jumpiness were uniquely and significantly associated with post-traumatic stress reactions. Post-traumatic stress reactions were elevated in ethnic minorities.Conclusions: The terrorist attacks seem to have had a significant effect on the Norwegian population, creating sadness and insecurity, at least in the short term. Proximity to the terrorist attacks was strongly associated with distress in the population, and early distress was strongly related to later post-traumatic stress reactions. Our results indicate that psychological proximity is more strongly associated with post-traumatic stress reactions than geographical proximity, and underline the importance of differentiated measurements of various aspects of early distress.For the abstract or full text in other languages, please see Supplementary files under Article Tools online

Alcohol use patterns in a Norwegian general population-based sample with special reference to socio-demographic variables

The aim of this study was to analyse alcohol use patterns in a general population-based sample in Norway, with special reference to gender and socio-demographic variables. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was applied to measure alcohol use patterns and to identify hazardous alcohol use and negative consequences. AUDIT is a commonly used screening instrument in general population studies. A random sample was established of 4,000 Norwegian citizens, aged 18 to 79, which was drawn from the National Register held by Statistics Norway. The response rate in this study was 33%. The results show that males are more likely to consume more alcohol and to experience more drinking-related problems than females. More males (30.0%) than females (12.6%) were found in the hazardously alcohol consuming group (AUDIT total score ≥8). Furthermore, odds ratios for males were significantly higher than the oldest age group (age 66–79, reference category) compared to all other age groups, while for females, only the two youngest age categories (18–35 years) were found to be significantly higher than the reference category. Age was found to be a major factor (confounder), especially for females, in the relationships between alcohol drinking patterns, employment and marital status, level of education and density groups. The results should be of interest both for health policy makers and health-care professionals in their planning of prevention and interventions concerning the hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption among the youngest age group.

From ‘Norwegian citizens’ via ‘citizens plus’ to ‘dual political membership’? Status, aspirations, and challenges ahead

The Norwegian citizenship regime has gradually changed to accommodate some of the demands voiced by or on behalf of the Sami. This article describes and analyses these changes in terms of changing citizenship status for the Sami as a gradual move from ‘Norwegian citizens’ via ‘citizens plus’ to ‘dual citizens’. Sami who are registered in the electoral roster for elections to the Sami Parliament possess political rights connected to two different political systems in Norway: one with membership based on territoriality, the other with membership based on descent. The author argues that the ‘people-to-people’ approach that currently seems to guide Sami aspirations for the political future ignores the condition of dual political membership and is thus ill-suited as a point of departure for discussions of the desirable scope of the future constitutional space of the Sami Parliament in Norway.

The encounter between two research disciplines – innovation through rethinking values and mealtime in nursing homes

More than 44,000 Norwegian citizens live in nursing homes. Many health problems are related to malnutrition and under-nourishment. Registered nurses are responsible for the care quality in nursing homes. Due to limitations with respect to workforce and budget, it is of importance that staff discovers new mealtime solutions. In the field of industrial design, the profession is continuously proliferating in specialized directions concerning both design tasks to solve, design approaches, as well as the span of technological and human-oriented means as part of solutions. The aim has been to explore how to improve the quality of mealtime in nursing homes. We have included: 1) observations 2) dialogue meetings and 3) workshops. The final result of the study is seen as two-fold: the value platform and five design concept ideas. Within the field of clinical nursing research, the hunt for new solutions is a challenge. In this work, crossing disciplinary frontiers is of great importance. In the present study, we have tried to implement this approach and experience. Through rethinking values, we have discovered innovative solutions and strategies that might have been difficult to discover within a traditional, single disciplinary method.

Drinking patterns, psychological distress and quality of life in a Norwegian general population-based sample

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible relationships between drinking patterns, psychological distress and quality of life (QoL) in a general population-based sample in Norway. A random sample of 4,000 Norwegian citizens, aged 18 to 79, was drawn from the National Register held by Statistics Norway. Males consumed significantly more alcohol and reported more drinking-related problems with more negative consequences, compared to females. Psychological distress increased, and all QoL domain scores decreased with increasing alcohol consumption within the group drinking alcohol at all. The excessive drinkers demonstrated the highest level of psychological distress and lowest QoL in the psychological, social relationships and environment domains. Non-drinkers reported to have poorest QoL in the physical health domain, whereas light and moderate drinkers demonstrated lowest psychological distress and best QoL. Psychological distress demonstrated substantial more importance for QoL than socio-demographic variables, alcohol consumption, alcohol dependency and negative consequences of alcohol use did. The findings indicate the need for a focus on psychological distress and its negative impact upon all QoL domains. Attention should also be paid to excessive drinkers who have poor QoL (psychological, social relationships and environment domains) and a high level of psychological distress. In addition, non-drinkers reported poor physical health. Further research is needed concerning the relation between alcohol consumption, psychological distress and QoL both in general population studies and in more specific samples.

Family structure and posttraumatic stress reactions: a longitudinal study using multilevel analyses

BackgroundThere is limited research on the relevance of family structures to the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress following disasters. We longitudinally studied the effects of marital and parental statuses on posttraumatic stress reactions after the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami and whether persons in the same households had more shared stress reactions than others.MethodThe study included a tourist population of 641 Norwegian adult citizens, many of them from families with children. We measured posttraumatic stress symptoms with the Impact of Event Scale-Revised at 6 months and 2 years post-disaster. Analyses included multilevel methods with mixed effects models.ResultsResults showed that neither marital nor parental status was significantly related to posttraumatic stress. At both assessments, adults living in the same household reported levels of posttraumatic stress that were more similar to one another than adults who were not living together. Between households, disaster experiences were closely related to the variance in posttraumatic stress symptom levels at both assessments. Within households, however, disaster experiences were less related to the variance in symptom level at 2 years than at 6 months.ConclusionsThese results indicate that adult household members may influence one another's posttraumatic stress reactions as well as their interpretations of the disaster experiences over time. Our findings suggest that multilevel methods may provide important information about family processes after disasters.

Sexuality in Norwegian textbooks: constructing and controlling ethnic borders?

In this article we discuss how sexuality is linked to national identity, ethnicity and cultural diversity in Norwegian textbooks for 13–16-year-olds. We show how gender equality and gay rights are mobilized as markers of Norwegianness in pedagogic texts and discuss the significance this has for inclusion in Norwegian nationhood. We address how progressive policies concerning gender and sexuality in Norway have been utilized to define Norwegianness in ethnic terms and argue that the texts we have analysed may produce the effect that tolerance towards homosexuality and support for gender equality as political positions are considered necessary for ethnic minority subjects’ acceptance as properly ‘integrated’ Norwegian citizens. In this way, these texts on sexuality may be seen to both construct and control ethnic borders in Norwegian society.

‘Changing teams’: a participant perspective on citizenship ceremonies

Several European countries of immigration have recently introduced citizenship ceremonies on either a mandatory or voluntary basis. Yet, little is known about how the target group for such ceremonies experiences them, and to what extent citizenship ceremonies achieve their goals of contributing to a greater sense of belonging. In this article, we analyse interviews with more than 50 newly naturalised Norwegian citizens about their reasons to attend or to not attend the voluntary ceremony in Norway. We find little resistance to the idea of citizenship ceremonies. For some participants, the ceremony seems to have great emotional value; the majority, however, chooses not to participate.

Attitudes towards anti-terror measures: the role of trust, political orientation and civil liberties support

This article analyses Norwegian citizens' attitudes towards the use of strong prevention measures in the fight against terrorism. Norwegians stand out as being relatively supportive of such measures, despite having been relatively shielded from serious terrorism. Nevertheless, they are generally more critical towards keeping people in custody without trial. This analysis shows that trust, political orientation and civil liberties support have significant explanatory value, also when the effects of gender, age, education and occupational status are controlled for. However, trust turns out to be a complicated indicator; whereas high scores on social trust predict more sceptical attitudes, a strong belief in personal abilities and in the political system fosters attitudes that are less sceptical. The article concludes that the combination of low threat, limited previous experience and high levels of trust creates a favourable environment for preventive policies, and recommends a further exploration of these dimensions in different contexts.

Crisis Management

This article describes and explains perceptions of how able government bodies are to prevent and handle crises based on surveys of Norwegian citizens and civil servants. The citizens generally have a rather high level of trust in the government’s ability to handle and prevent crises, and there are no big differences between the general public and the civil servants regarding their perception of crisis management. Trust-related factors are the main explanatory variables among the citizens, whereas the variations in the views of the bureaucrats are related to policy area, perceived coordinative capability, and mutual trust between governmental bodies.

Norway to change ballot placement scheme for trainee doctors

Norway’s health minister has proposed changing the lottery system for deciding where junior doctors serve their compulsory training placement because of the growing number of applications from abroad. The government currently guarantees a training place within less than six months for any doctor applying for a position. The number of applicants who are not Norwegian citizens, however, has increased by more than fivefold between 2006 and 2009, whereas the number of applications from Norwegians has remained relatively stable. Consequently the number of applications …

Making sense of global warming: Norwegians appropriating knowledge of anthropogenic climate change

This paper studies how people reason about and make sense of human-made global warming, based on ten focus group interviews with Norwegian citizens. It shows that the domestication of climate science knowledge was shaped through five sense-making devices: news media coverage of changes in nature, particularly the weather, the coverage of presumed experts' disagreement about global warming, critical attitudes towards media, observations of political inaction, and considerations with respect to everyday life. These sense-making devices allowed for ambiguous outcomes, and the paper argues four main outcomes with respect to the domestication processes: the acceptors, the tempered acceptors, the uncertain and the sceptics.

Legislating love: Norwegian family reunification law as a racial project

Love is often portrayed as helping us overcome racism and other forms of prejudice, yet this article argues that imperatives towards love and romance-based marriage in Norwegian family reunification law constitute a racial project. Through a detailed reading of the 2004 Green Paper on a new Immigration Act, and a particular focus on the use of immigration law to combat forced marriages evident there, the centrality of romantic love in constructions of national subjects is considered. These constructions are seen to render some groups of Norwegian citizens simultaneously invisible as national subjects and hyper-visible as objects of national management.

Blood pressure and risk of prostate cancer: cohort Norway (CONOR)

Some studies suggest that raised blood pressure may increase prostate cancer risk. We investigated associations of blood pressure with prostate cancer within the CONOR collaborative cohorts of Norway. Between 1994 and 2003, 82,098 men from ten population-based cohorts in Norway completed standardised questionnaires and physical examinations, including resting blood pressure. The unique 11-digit identification number of Norwegian citizens allowed linkage with the Cancer Registry of Norway. A total of 78,768 (96%) men who were cancer-free at baseline and average age of 50.3 years (standard deviation, SD: 15.2) were followed up for a mean of 9.15 years. 11.4% of these men used antihypertensive drugs at baseline. During follow-up (1994-2006), 1,974 incident prostate cancers were diagnosed. We found a 4% (95% confidence interval, CI = 0-9%) increased risk of prostate cancer per one SD (18.3 mmHg) increase in systolic blood pressure and similar findings for diastolic blood pressure (hazard ratio, HR: 1.05 per SD; 95% CI = 1.01-1.10). The association was stronger for advanced (HR: 1.16 per SD increase in systolic blood pressure; 95% CI = 1.05-1.27) compared with localised (1.01; 0.95-1.08) prostate cancer (p for heterogeneity in hazard ratios = 0.02). Raised blood pressure was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, particularly advanced cancers at diagnosis. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these findings may provide biological insights into prostate carcinogenesis. Even if the association was causal, our data suggest that raised blood pressure would account for only 3% of prostate cancers, so the public health impact of this association may be limited.

The complexity of the relationship between chronic pain and quality of life: a study of the general Norwegian population

PurposeThe aims of this paper were to evaluate the relationship between chronic pain and global quality of life (GQOL) and to explore the effect of possible confounders, mediators, and moderators such as selected demographic variables, chronic illnesses, stress-related symptoms, fatigue, and subjective health of the relationship between chronic pain and GQOL.MethodsWe used a cross-sectional design, including 1,893 respondents from a population of 4,000 of Norwegian citizens, aged 19–81 years, who were randomly drawn from the National Register by Statistics Norway in November 2000 (48.5%). Pain duration of more than 3 months was categorized as having chronic pain. The Quality of Life Scale, the Fatigue Severity Scale, and the Posttraumatic Stress Scale were used as our main dependent and independent variables, respectively. A series of multiple regression analyses (GLM in SPSS) were applied using GQOL as the dependent variable, entering subsets of independent variables in a theoretically predefined sequence.ResultsIn the total model, there was no significant relationship between chronic pain and GQOL. The model explained 39% of the variance in GQOL. For direct effect sizes, stress-related symptoms were related most strongly to GQOL, followed by subjective health, fatigue, chronic illnesses, and selected demographic variables.ConclusionThese findings support the assumption of a complex and indirect relationship between chronic pain and GQOL.

Longitudinal changes in recalled perceived life threat after a natural disaster

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis often depends on a retrospective, self-report of exposure to a life-threatening event. To examine the stability of recalled perceived life threat in a community sample exposed to a distinct stressful event. Five hundred and thirty-two Norwegian citizens who experienced the 2004 South-East Asia tsunami completed a self-report questionnaire 6 and 24 months post-disaster. The questionnaire measured perceived life-threat intensity, exposure, immediate stress response, psychopathology, personality dimensions, self-efficacy and social support. Recalled threat intensity increased from 6 to 24 months (P<0.001). Recall amplification was associated with lack of PTSD symptom improvement (P<0.05), but not with degree of exposure, immediate stress response, mood or stress symptoms, personality, self-efficacy or social support. Recall amplification of perceived life threat from a single stressful event occurs in the general population, it may hinder PTSD symptom improvement and it questions the diagnostic validity of PTSD.