Swedish Citizens Research Articles

Facebook and Twitter in Crisis Communication: A Comparative Study of Crisis Communication Professionals and Citizens

This mixed‐methods study presents a comparative analysis of the use and perceived usefulness of Facebook and Twitter, among Swedish citizens and crisis communication professionals, as crisis communication tools and information sources. The use and perceived usefulness of Facebook and Twitter are not congruent and consistent between the two different groups, according to the overall study. Communication professionals, for example, report higher levels of perceived usefulness regarding Facebook's potential as a crisis communication tool than do the citizens. Taken together, the results show that researchers (within social media and crisis communication) and crisis managers both need to deal with the fact that social media is not a homogenous phenomenon with a single coherent role in crisis management and communication research and practice.

Breaking the ice of low financial involvement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how trust in the sender of financial information and a narrative vs fact-related format of the information influence intentions to save in a mutual fund. Design/methodology/approach – In Experiment 1, 186 undergraduates participate and in Experiment 2, 434 Swedish citizens between 18 and 70 years randomly chosen from a consumer panel. In both experiments participants are randomized to two conditions in which they are presented with the same information about a mutual fund in a narrative or a traditional fact-related format. In four different between-groups conditions crossed with information format, pre-tested descriptions of different fictitious banks are presented. The descriptions are combined in a fractional factorial design such that one bank is low in the three trust determinants of competence, benevolence and transparency, whereas the other three banks are high in one of the trust determinants but lower in the others. Ratings are made of the information with respect to how much positive affect the information evokes, interest in the message and intention to save in the mutual fund. Findings – In both experiments the narrative compared to the fact-based information format increases positive affect, interest and intention to save. Trust in the bank has an independent effect of increasing the intention to save. Practical implications – The narrative format of financial information may be key to increase involvement in financial choices but needs to be supplemented by a message that reinforces the positive affect and interest evoked by the format. Originality/value – A demonstration of how a narrative format of financial information and trust in the sender jointly influence intentions to save in a mutual fund.

Ironies of democracy: Purposes of education and the construction of citizens in Sweden, India and the United States

Abstract With relatively few comparative studies of civics curricula in diverse democratic contexts and world regions, this article considers how civic values are negotiated in national curricular policy texts. To explore the purposes of education and the construction of citizens in curricular documents, we layer two theoretical frameworks together – Biesta’s framework examining the purposes of education and Westheimer and Kahne’s framework examining the types of civic education. Looking at curricular frameworks from Sweden, India and the United States, we engaged qualitative content analysis to identify common themes of civic values across these nations: workforce preparation, positioning in society and democratic questioning. We found growing commonality of how ‘citizenry’ is increasingly being defined in terms of individual contributions to the larger enterprises of the nation and the global economy.

Risk of Injurious Fall and Hip Fracture up to 26 y before the Diagnosis of Parkinson Disease: Nested Case-Control Studies in a Nationwide Cohort.

BackgroundLow muscle strength has been found in late adolescence in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson disease (PD) 30 y later. This study investigated whether this lower muscle strength also may translate into increased risks of falling and fracture before the diagnosis of PD.Methods and FindingsAmong all Swedish citizens aged ≥50 y in 2005, two nested case–control cohorts were compiled. In cohort I, individuals diagnosed with PD during 1988–2012 (n = 24,412) were matched with up to ten controls (n = 243,363), and the risk of fall-related injuries before diagnosis of PD was evaluated. In cohort II, individuals with an injurious fall in need of emergency care during 1988–2012 (n = 622,333) were matched with one control (n = 622,333), and the risk of PD after the injurious fall was evaluated. In cohort I, 18.0% of cases and 11.5% of controls had at least one injurious fall (p < 0.001) prior to PD diagnosis in the case. Assessed by conditional logistic regression analysis adjusted for comorbid diagnoses and education level, PD was associated with increased risks of injurious fall up to 10 y before diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] 1.19, 95% CI 1.08–1.31; 7 to <10 y before diagnosis) and hip fracture ≥15 y before diagnosis (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.10–1.69; 15–26 y before diagnosis). In cohort II, 0.7% of individuals with an injurious fall and 0.5% of controls were diagnosed with PD during follow-up (p < 0.001). The risk of PD was increased for up to 10 y after an injurious fall (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.02–1.37; 7 to <10 y after diagnosis). An important limitation is that the diagnoses were obtained from registers and could not be clinically confirmed for the study.ConclusionsThe increased risks of falling and hip fracture prior to the diagnosis of PD may suggest the presence of clinically relevant neurodegenerative impairment many years before the diagnosis of this disease.

The Importance of Electoral and Judicial Trust for Regime Support

What kind of institutions is most essential to be trustworthy in order for a society to function well? To the extent that previous research has addressed the problem, trust in electoral, judicial and economic institutions and in public administration have been most frequently mentioned as most important for the functioning of society. The problem, however, is worth a more thorough research approach, where trust in different kind of institutions is systematically compared across political systems. The study is based on five different data sources: three aggregated datasets (CSES, WVS and ESS), and two surveys of Swedish citizens (SOM and the Lore Citizen Panel). When it comes to regime support (and legitimacy) institutional trust matters; especially trust in electoral and judicial institutions. Quality of government matters also. Economic factors, however, matter less in this instance. Political factors rule, not economical. Nations succeed when there is trust in electoral and judicial institutions and when there is an impartial public administration.

Ethiopia in Swedish Press During the Italo-Ethiopian Conflict 1934-36: A Research Proposal

In 1935, Fascist Italy invaded independent Ethiopia, a member of the League of Nations. To a small and neutral country like Sweden, without a direct colonial heritage and largely isolated from the affairs of the colonized world, the war served as a touchstone for the quality of the League and received extensive attention in the press. It gave rise to great indignation in public opinion, further spurred by Swedish citizens’ half a century history of involvement in the Ethiopian modernizing project. Swedish sympathies for the Ethiopians developed to an extent which hitherto had not existed with regard to any other African or Asian people, long before the anti-colonial movements of the 1960s. The objective of the planned research project is to demonstrate that the Italo-Ethiopian conflict and identification with Ethiopia brought Sweden into a new, international and global community and thereby contributed to a self-image of Sweden as a modern and democratic society, as reflected in the formation of public opinion. This will be done by analysing the image of Swedish-Ethiopian relations in the press during the conflict. The present article is limited to giving an outline of a research proposal, seen against the backdrop of the massive popular manifestations in Sweden in the late summer of 1935, immediately before the outbreak of the war in October. The source material, the Swedish press, is remarkably rich and hitherto not used in research. Instead of a state-centred perspective, the article emphasises that the conflict animated a plurality of networks, contributing to the rise of an anti-colonial public opinion in the Swedish press. The conflict brought Sweden closer to world events and introduced to Swedish readers a debate about the colonial world order. At the same time there was an intensified production and reproduction of new knowledge: Ethiopia came much closer. In September, one month before the war broke out; Swedish cities saw some of the largest demonstrations in modern Swedish history against war, fascism and in support of Ethiopia.

Beliefs about intimate partner violence: A survey of the Swedish general public.

Public interventions are considered to be an important means of preventing intimate partner violence (IPV). What people believe about the nature of IPV is likely to determine their propensity to intervene, but little is known at present about IPV beliefs among the general public. In a survey of 650 Swedish citizens, beliefs about the prevalence and causes of IPV, and viable means of intervention were assessed. Respondents estimated, on average, that IPV occurs in almost one quarter of all intimate relationships in Sweden, and that IPV is particularly prevalent in low-income groups, among non-European immigrants, in suburban areas, and in couples under the age of 50years. Physical violence was believed to be the most frequent form of abuse in male offender-female victim cases, whereas psychological violence was considered most frequent in other combinations of offender and victim gender. Female respondents estimated a higher prevalence of IPV, attributed less blame to IPV victims, and suggested more means of intervention, than did male respondents. The findings are discussed in relation to empirical prevalence estimates, and implications are proposed.

Insecurity in an Orange Envelope: National Pension System Reform in Sweden

In this article, I examine the implications of Sweden's reformed national pension system and how this policy reconfigures the state–citizen relationship. By applying the methodological approach of “studying through,” the study depicts a shift in responsibility from a state level to an individual level. More specifically, I here shed light on how politicians, technocrats, and bureaucrats work to educate and foster the general public into responsible, hard working and financially literate citizens. The article further reveals that such attempts are not readily accepted or adopted by the citizens at the receiving end of the pension policy and so, instead of providing stability and security, this social security policy invokes a sense of insecurity in Swedish citizens. [Pension System Reform, Anthropology of Policy, Sweden, Studying Through]

Women and nuclear energy: Examining the gender divide in opposition to nuclear power among swedish citizens and politicians

Whether or not there will be a "renaissance" of nuclear power in the near future may depend upon the nature of support for this energy source among citizens and elected officials. Continued examination of the predictors of opposition to nuclear power therefore remains quite policy relevant. While the existing literature finds modest but consistent gender differences in attitudes towards nuclear power in the general publics of several Western countries, the robustness of this relationship has seldom been investigated across time or among elected officials. This paper addresses both of these gaps. First, analyzing nationally representative data from the Swedish general public between 1986 and 2011, we confirm that the theoretically expected gender divide in opposition to nuclear power—whereby women report greater opposition than do men—is indeed robust over time. Second, examining data from three recent surveys of elected officials at the local, regional, and national levels in Sweden, we find that female elected officials at each polity level report greater opposition to nuclear power than their male counterparts. Our results are consistent with the health and safety concerns argument, whereby women are less supportive than are men of technologies with considerable perceived health and safety risks.

‘Rhyme or reason?’ Saying no to mass vaccination: subjective re-interpretation in the context of the A(H1N1) influenza pandemic in Sweden 2009–2010

During the swine flu pandemic of 2009–2010, all Swedish citizens were recommended to be vaccinated with the influenza vaccine Pandemrix. However, a very serious and unexpected side effect emerged during...

School performance and alcohol-related disorders in early adulthood: a Swedish national cohort study.

Background Alcohol misuse is an important global health determinant and a major contributor to health inequalities. We aimed to investigate the association between school performance and alcohol-related disorders in early adulthood in a longitudinal register-based national cohort study.Methods We followed a register-based national cohort of Swedish citizens born 1973–1984 (N = 948 440) from compulsory school graduation at age 15–16 to 2009. We divided the population into five groups: high school marks (> mean + 1 SD); high average (between mean and mean + 1 SD); low average (between mean and mean − 1 SD); low (< mean – 1SD); and missing. Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate the relation between school marks at time of graduation and hospital care for alcohol-related disorders in early adulthood.Results There was a steep gradient in the risk of alcohol-related disorders related to school performance. In comparison with peers in the top category of school marks, students with low marks had adjusted hazard ratios of 8.02 [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.20 to 8.91], low average 3.02 (2.72 to 3.35) and high average 1.55 (1.39 to 1.73). The risk associated with low school marks was stronger in the male population and in the group from high socioeconomic background.Conclusions The study demonstrated a strong graded relation between low school performance and alcohol-related disorders in young adulthood. School performance should be taken into account when developing prevention programmes/policies targeting alcohol misuse among teenagers and young adults, especially if the aim is to reach high-risk groups.

Bureaucratic resistance, acceptance, or enthusiasm in Sweden and elsewhere

To many Swedish citizens, their everyday contacts with the Church of Sweden in matters of civil registration and impediments of marriage created their strongest im pressions of the Church. Thus, as an example of ecclesiastical history of everyday life (Alltagsgeschichte), my study is of great interest from the point of view of Church history. It illustrates how the performance of the civil duties by the Church of Sweden was directed by Swedish governmental policies, often applied from an administrative level only, and handled without theological considerations. Towards the application of the Nuremberg Laws according to the Hague Convention of 1902, the Swedish clergy and laymen showed varied attitudes of bureaucratic resistance, reluctance, or acceptance. (Less)

It takes a giraffe to see the big picture – Citizens' view on decision makers in health care rationing

Previous studies show that citizens usually prefer physicians as decision makers for rationing in health care, while politicians are downgraded. The findings are far from clear-cut due to methodological differences, and as the results are context sensitive they cannot easily be transferred between countries. Drawing on methodological experiences from previous research, this paper aims to identify and describe different ways Swedish citizens understand and experience decision makers for rationing in health care, exclusively on the programme level. We intend to address several challenges that arise when studying citizens' views on rationing by (a) using a method that allows for reflection, (b) using the respondents' nomination of decision makers, and (c) clearly identifying the rationing level. We used phenomenography, a qualitative method for studying variations and changes in perceiving phenomena. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 14 Swedish citizens selected by standard criteria (e.g. age) and by their attitude towards rationing.The main finding was that respondents viewed politicians as more legitimate decision makers in contrast to the results in most other studies. Interestingly, physicians, politicians, and citizens were all associated with some kind of risk related to self-interest in relation to rationing. A collaborative solution for decision making was preferred where the views of different actors were considered important. The fact that politicians were seen as appropriate decision makers could be explained by several factors: the respondents' new insights about necessary trade-offs at the programme level, awareness of the importance of an overview of different health care needs, awareness about self-interest among different categories of decision-makers, including physicians, and the national context of long-term political accountability for health care in Sweden. This study points to the importance of being aware of contextual and methodological issues in relation to research on how citizens experience arrangements for rationing in health care.

The role of individual adaptive practices for sustainable adaptation

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the strategies used by Swedish citizens to adapt to changing climate variability and extremes. There is an increasing consensus that individual adaptive capacities are critical to successfully adapt to climate change and achieve sustainable development. However, little is known about individual adaptive practices, particularly in developed countries. Design/methodology/approach – The study covered a variety of geographical areas and included single-case studies of specific locations, cross-case studies and country-wide studies. Data were collected through literature review, interviews with at-risk people, observation and group discussions with municipal staff. Findings – The paper provides an overview of Swedish citizens’ adaptive practices and highlights how institutional development efforts affect individuals and their activities, including the equitable distribution of adaptation needs and resources. The paper concludes that individual adaptive capacities do not necessarily translate into adaptation. Practical implications – The results show that planned interventions are required. They emphasise the importance of more people-oriented adaptation planning that fosters the sustainable transformation of cities, together with the role that South-North knowledge transfer can play in this context. Originality/value – The paper offers critical insights into the positive and negative effects of citizens’ adaptation strategies (based on criteria such as effectiveness, sustainability and equity), and it discusses their relevance in the formulation of development policies and programmes.

Ett nationellt metasystem för utbildning och fostran i Tornedalen

A national metasystem for education and fostering in TornedalenA national interacting metasystem of national education and fostering developed in the Finnish speaking region Tornedalen in northern Sweden from the late 19th century to the 1950s. It was not formally agreed as a deliberate education system, but was more of a tacit understanding of a common nationalistic goal within different educational institutions such as primary schools, the residential industrial schools [arbetsstugor], the folk high-schools and the different forms of explicit military education. The aim was to help the poor region economically, to spread the Swedish language and culture in the area, to break the isolation of the region through education and to integrate this geopolitically sensitive border region into the nation. The integrative phase of Swedish nationalism was a common denominator. Leading persons in the educational and fostering activities were many times the same persons. There was a consensus over party lines about the need of acculturation and assimilation of the Tornedalians. The school, the nation and the family was regarded as central concepts in the fostering of the minority into Swedish citizens. By regarding the educations in Tornealen as a metasystem of ideological influences you get an imagination of the ideological power single educations gets when interconnected as a system.

Statin-induced muscle toxicity and susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia and other muscle diseases: a population-based case-control study including 1st and 2nd degree relatives.

Case reports have suggested an association between susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia (MH) and other muscle diseases in subjects with statin-induced muscle toxicity. The aim of the study was to further scrutinize this association in a population-based case-control study including 1st and 2nd degree relatives. Spontaneously reported cases with muscle disorders associated with statin therapy until September 2006 were identified in the Swedish Adverse Drug Reaction Registry at the Medical Products Agency. For each case, ten population-based controls, matched on year of birth and gender, were randomly selected from the National Registry of Swedish Citizens. First and 2nd degree relatives to cases and controls were identified in the Swedish Multi-Generation Registry. ICD codes that could be associated with susceptibility to MH or other muscle diseases were chosen, and subjects were followed until December 2007 with regard to occurrence of selected ICD codes in the Swedish Registries for Cause of Death and Hospital Discharge Diagnoses, respectively. The chosen ICD codes were significantly overrepresented in case families compared with control families (RR 1.56; 95 % CI 1.15-2.10). The strongest associations were identified for a diagnosis of drug-induced or specified or unspecified myopathy (RR 52; 95 % CI 22-123) or a diagnosis of unspecified hyperthermia in combination with drug-induced or specified or unspecified myopathy (RR 30; 95 % CI 6-148). In contrast, a diagnosis of unspecified hyperthermia in the absence of drug-induced or specified or unspecified myopathy was significantly underrepresented among case families (RR 0.42; 95 % CI 0.23-0.76). In a case-control study including 1st and 2nd degree relatives, statin-induced muscle toxicity was significantly associated with a diagnosis of drug-induced or specified or unspecified myopathy and with a diagnosis of unspecified hyperthermia in combination with a diagnosis of drug-induced or specified or unspecified myopathy.

Myocardial infarction and occupational exposure to motor exhaust: a population-based case-control study in Sweden.

There is a well-established association between particulate urban air pollution and cardiovascular disease, but few studies have investigated the risk associated with occupational exposure to particles from motor exhaust. This study investigated the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) after occupational exposure to motor exhaust, using elemental carbon (EC) as a marker of exposure. A population-based case-control study of first-time non-lethal MI was conducted among Swedish citizens in ages 45-70 living in Stockholm County 1992-1994, including 1,643 cases and 2,235 controls. Working histories and data on potential confounders were collected by questionnaire and medical examination. The exposure to EC was assessed through a job-exposure matrix. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression. We investigated various exposure metrics: intensity, cumulative exposure and years since exposure. There was an exposure-response relation between the highest average exposure intensity during the work history and the risk of MI when adjusting for smoking and alcohol drinking (p for trend 0.034), with an OR of 1.30 (95% CI 0.99-1.71) in the highest tertile of exposure compared to the unexposed. An exposure-response pattern was observed in the analysis of years since exposure cessation among formerly exposed. Additional adjustments for markers of the metabolic syndrome reduced ORs and trends to non-significant levels, although this might be an over-adjustment since the metabolic syndrome may be part of the causal pathway. Occupational exposure to motor exhaust was associated with a moderately increased risk of MI.

Navigating the market of welfare services: The choice of upper secondary school in Sweden

Due to increased market orientation and deregulation, welfare services in Sweden have taken on the form of market-based services. The body of research on deregulation and privatization is quite substantial regarding the implications of this kind of development. However, studies of the actual process of how choices are made are less common. This article discusses the implications of greater freedom of choice for Swedish citizens in diverse socioeconomic situations, focusing on factors that limit opportunities for choice. Deregulation and the increasing number of alternatives affect the relationship between the citizen and the welfare state in several ways. The Swedish school system is used here as an example of an empirical field. The analytical focus of the article consists of two different kinds of restrictions on choice: structure-based and agency-based. One conclusion is that both affluent and underprivileged citizens have limited choices. Another conclusion is that social citizenship, when freedom of choice is stimulated, can reproduce and even increase social and ethnic segregation. An additional potential consequence is that, when we consider social rights in their tangible form, the development of greater freedom of choice is focused increasingly on the consumer’s range of choices and less on the quality of the service offered.

The Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study (Swelogs): design and methods of the epidemiological (EP-) track.

Swelogs (Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study) epidemiological (EP‐) track is a prospective study with four waves of data‐collection among Swedish citizens aged 16–84 years at baseline. The major objectives of this track are to provide general population estimates of the prevalence and incidence of problem and at‐risk gambling and enable comparisons with the first Swedish national study on gambling and problem gambling (Swegs) conducted in 1997/1998. The overall study (Swelogs) comprises three tracks of data collection; one epidemiological, one in‐depth and one follow‐up. It is expected to provide information that will inform the development of evidence‐based methods and strategies to prevent the development of gambling problems. This paper gives an overview of the design of the epidemiological track, especially of its two first waves. The baseline wave, performed between October 2008 and August 2009, included 8165 subjects, of whom 6021 were re‐assessed one year later. A stratified random sampling procedure was applied. Computer‐supported telephone interviews were used as the primary method. Postal questionnaires were used to follow‐up those not reached by telephone. The response rate was 55% in the first wave and 74% in the second. The interview and questionnaire data are supplemented by register data. © 2014 The Authors. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Gender differences in environmental concern among Swedish citizens and politicians

Numerous studies find modest, consistent gender differences in environmental concern within the general publics of North American and European countries, but results from the few studies of gender differences among politicians are inconsistent. We test if women report stronger environmental concern than men across four levels of the Swedish polity, utilising three data sets: a representative sample of the general public, a survey of all representatives in municipal-level and county-level councils, and a survey of members of the Swedish Parliament. Results from our multivariate ordered logistic regression models reveal a consistent pattern across the lower three levels: women report greater environmental concern than men in the general public and in municipal and county councils. In the Swedish Parliament, however, the apparent effect of gender is largely explained by political orientation.