Swedish Respondents Research Articles

A professional–cultural approach to discrimination – constructions of police discrimination in two European countries

ABSTRACTFrom a critical analytical framework, this article analyses survey responses conveying Swedish and German police officers' understanding of discriminatory behaviour in the workplace. The article relates discursive constructions of discrimination made in respondents' accounts of potential factors behind discrimination, and in positioning oneself. Taking into account previous studies on constructions of discrimination, this study develops and proposes some key strategies of explication of the cultural meanings assigned to forms of discrimination as well as justification of or resistance to discriminatory behaviour in professional contexts. Resistance to discrimination is displayed through (1) exposition of reasons behind discrimination, (2) display of a critical self-image and (3) strategic choice of mode of report. Differences to be found between Swedish and German respondents are attention to detail, to underlying factors in discrimination and to typical communicative practices regarding discriminatory behaviour. Sexism is acknowledged as a violation to a comparatively high degree, whereas racism is reported much less.

Hög generell tillit och låg tolerans mot främlingar?

In light of Sweden’s exceptionally high levels of generalised trust, a widely argued view is that this country is well equipped to counterbalance contemporary challenges of xenophobia and build trust between diverse groups. However, while trust remains at high levels in Sweden, the same, somewhat paradoxically, goes for xenophobic attitudes. Therefore, the main question addressed in this article is why many Swedes report that they trust ‘most people in general’ while simultaneously displaying high levels of xenophobia. Drawing on unique survey-data, the article presents three main answers. First, the article shows that Swedish respondents place much more trust in their cultural in-group – which they tend to equate with ‘most people’ – than in their cultural out-group. Second, when relating these different measures of trust to respondents’ degree of xenophobia, on the one hand, and their party preferences, on the other hand, the article shows that an overwhelming majority of the electorate report that they trust people from Western Europe, while only a minority report that they tolerate and trust non-Europeans. Third, and most crucially, the article finds that high trust in the cultural out-group is associated with tolerance, whereas high trust in the in-group instead appears to breed xenophobia.

Becoming a special educator – Finnish and Swedish students’ views on their future professions

In this article, we discuss the views of 117 special education student teachers related to their oncoming profession in the framework of ecological theory. Together, 68 students from Sweden (26 special teachers and 41 SENCo students) and 49 from Finland responded to a questionnaire. We compared the respondents’ thoughts about their future work content, the focus areas of special education and inclusion. According to the expectations, the main task for these future special educators is to work with pupils and adults at school. The focus areas of their future work included co-operation and consultation, more so in Sweden. In addition, excellent interaction skills were central. The Swedish respondents supported full inclusion to a greater extent than the Finnish respondents. Finally, no critical aspects of resource allocation or conditions to ensure the child's right to adequate support within the existing school systems were emphasised by the respondents. The results and the differences among the various respondents are discussed.

Eating Sustainably? Practices and Background Factors of Ecological Food Consumption in Four Nordic Countries

This article examines sustainable food consumption in the Nordic context, studying to what extent people in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have food consumption patterns that are in the current discourse promoted as sustainability enhancing. The article analyses the association of sustainable food consumption to attitudinal support for environmental policy measures, interest in cooking, and healthy eating practices as well as sociodemographic background factors. The comparison of four countries enables an analysis of the importance of the national context in sustainable food consumption. The study is based on data from a 2012 Nordic Web survey (N = 8248). The results show that carrying out sustainable activities was not very widespread. Buying local food was the most popular, eating meat less often the most unpopular sustainable activity. The level of participation in sustainable practices varied across the four countries. Swedish respondents were the overall most active, Norwegians the least. However, results from analysis of variance (anova) indicated that the individual explanatory factors of sustainable food consumption were relatively similar in the four countries. Healthy eating patterns, interest in cooking, and supporting environmental policy measures were all positively correlated to sustainable food consumption. Women and the elderly were more active in sustainable practices than were men and the young. Education and occupational position played a role, too, but their effect was not totally systematic across countries. The findings suggest that sustainable food consumption is not a strongly socially stratified phenomenon, but it is related to other practices of eating regarded as “proper,” such as interest in cooking and healthy eating. Broader and more inclusive policies are needed to better engage people in sustainable activities.

A study of forest values and management attitudes in the general public in Germany and Sweden: does context matter?

Based on the reasoning that contextual variations are important for understanding differences in forest cognitions, this study examined forest values and management attitudes in the general public in Germany (n = 1135) and Sweden (n = 1311) by means of a questionnaire. Results indicated that the public in both countries emphasised similar forest values, and the overall pattern was comparable for different types of forest, although certain differences based on forest type and country were evident. For example, the German public was more ecologically oriented, whereas the Swedish public was more production oriented in its forest values and management attitudes. Furthermore, ecological and various anthropocentric forest values were perceived to be quite compatible, with the Swedish respondents perceiving this to a greater extent than the German. The overall cognitive structure of forest values and management attitudes was similar in both countries, although differences were revealed, particularly regarding attitudes.

Why you and not me? Expressions of envy in Sweden and Indonesia

The purpose of the present study was to describe experience of envy in two different cultures, Indonesia and Sweden. Envy is a feeling that most people have experienced and mostly regards as shameful. The concept relates to a variety of feeling that shows its complexity. The result shows that envy had a wider meaning in the Indonesian language than in Swedish, and consisted of emotional words that were rare among the Swedish respondents. The Swedish respondents’ descriptions were, with few exceptions, connected to a malicious (ill will) meaning while it was obvious that the Javanese respondents used also the concept of benign envy (without ill will). Jealousy and envy seemed to overlap each other more in Bahasa Indonesia than in the Swedish use of the words. The latter had a distinct word for schadenfreude that was lacking in Bahasa Indonesia. For the Swedish respondents, wanting to have what another person possesses was a central element of envy, for example prosperity or competence. The Javanese respondents stressed relationships, achievements and personal characteristics’ as main causes for envy. Both the Swedish and Javanese respondents reported that a person who they knew and with whom they had an established relationship, such as a friend or a fellow student, had envied them and the causes for this were about the same as their own.

Positive and negative reasons for sickness presenteeism in Norway and Sweden: a cross-sectional survey

ObjectivesThis article investigates various reasons for sickness presenteeism (SP), that is, going to work despite illness. The research questions asked is: What are the main reported reasons for SP in...

Risk factors of long-term sickness absence in Norway and Sweden

Aims: This paper examines the level of long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in Norway and Sweden. It also investigates whether risk factors of LTSA are the same in Norway and Sweden. Methods: More than 2500 Norwegian and Swedish workers between 20 and 60 years of age answered a postal questionnaire. The Norwegian and Swedish samples are weighted and representative with regard to regional background variables and demographic background variables, but the response rate was low. LTSA is defined as 15 days or more sickness absence in the previous year. Binary logistic regression is used to detect which factors influence LTSA. The analyses of LTSA include demographic factors, socio-economic position, and occupational characteristics. Results: Nineteen per cent of respondents in Norway and 11 per cent of respondents in Sweden experienced LTSA in the previous year. Many respondents from Sweden report mental problems and many Norwegian respondents report pain in back, neck, knuckles, and muscles. Income level is the most important predictor of LTSA in both countries. The direct impacts of gender, age, and physical work conditions are stronger in Norway than Sweden.Discussion: In accordance with official statistics and previous studies, the proportion of Norwegian respondents with LTSA is much higher than the proportion of Swedish respondents. The different levels of LTSA could be linked to differences in social policy. In line with previous studies, respondents with low income are overrepresented with LTSA, and gender, age, and physical work also matter. In contrast to previous studies, there is not any evidence of higher levels of LTSA among non-western immigrants, people with less education, and non-managers. These results reflect the control for ‘income level’, but they could also be related to limits with the survey (non-response, response bias, etc.).

COMBINING WORK AND PARENTHOOD IN ESTONIA, SWEDEN AND FINLAND

The article is based on a study which analysed the participation of women and men in the labour market and birth rate in the current situation of population ageing in the EU. The article disserts the following subthemes: possibilities for women and men to balance work–life situations; women’s and men’s willingness to balance work–life; agents affecting the stances of women and men, and various strategies for combining work and family life. Study results allege that: women’s active participation in the labour market does not have a negative effect on birth rate if the government provides mothers with social security support for the future; the contentment of Swedish and Finnish respondents´ with their present governments’ family supporting measures affirm that Nordic countries have been successful forerunners in adopting family policy measures to back up mothers. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.7.4894

Ex Parte Interviews of Party-Appointed Arbitrator Candidates: A Study Based on the Views of Counsel and Arbitrators in Sweden and the United States

Depending on how they are used, ex parte interviews can either be a helpful tool when parties want to appoint qualified and suitable arbitrators, or they may undermine the impartiality and independence of the arbitrators. This study of almost 100 counsel and arbitrators in Sweden and the United States shows clear support for ex parte interviews as such, but not under all circumstances. The study indicates that the main concern is the lack of international consensus regarding the circumstances under which ex parte interviews are appropriate. For instance, the American respondents were much more reluctant to disclose the existence of ex parte interviews, and found discussions of the parties' positions and facts related to the dispute less problematic than the Swedish respondents. After a review of the current practice and regulation, this article explores how transparency as well as specific, non-mandatory rules seem to be the two most important and requested solutions in avoiding undesirable situations and challenges, and maintaining confidence in the fairness of international arbitration.

AB0848-HPR Promotion of health-enhancing physical activity – a comparative study between italy and sweden

BackgroundMany people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are physically inactive despite proven health benefits. Effective methods for physical activity (PA) promotion have been developed, but little is known about their use...

Where is food ‘good to think’? Rationalities of food and place in Sweden and France

Where is food ‘good to think’? This comparative study describes the mental foodscapes of Swedish and French people by asking them to say where, in time and space, they would go to in order to eat well. Both the Swedish and French respondents say they would avoid the US and fast-food establishments in order to eat well, but while the French in general point inward, toward the countryside of their region a couple of decades ago, the Swedes, in their choices, want to go far away, to the Mediterranean region, South-east Asia or an abstract wilderness. The article argues that the reason for these differences is that consumers in these two countries use different dominant rationalities to judge the food of different places – a nutritional rationality in Sweden and a rationality of origin in France – and it proceeds to identify the politico-historical roots of these rationalities. Finally, it argues that while each rationality makes a certain set of food and place qualities cognizable and judgeable, others, such as exotic foods in France and conviviality in Sweden, are left non-cognizable and difficult to judge.

Risk factors of long-term sickness absence in Norway and Sweden

Aims: This paper examines the level of long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in Norway and Sweden. It also investigates whether risk factors of LTSA are the same in Norway and Sweden. Methods: More than 2500 Norwegian and Swedish workers between 20 and 60 years of age answered a postal questionnaire. The Norwegian and Swedish samples are weighted and representative with regard to regional background variables and demographic background variables, but the response rate was low. LTSA is defined as 15 days or more sickness absence in the previous year. Binary logistic regression is used to detect which factors influence LTSA. The analyses of LTSA include demographic factors, socio-economic position, and occupational characteristics. Results: Nineteen per cent of respondents in Norway and 11 per cent of respondents in Sweden experienced LTSA in the previous year. Many respondents from Sweden report mental problems and many Norwegian respondents report pain in back, neck, knuckles, and muscles. Income level is the most important predictor of LTSA in both countries. The direct impacts of gender, age, and physical work conditions are stronger in Norway than Sweden.Discussion: In accordance with official statistics and previous studies, the proportion of Norwegian respondents with LTSA is much higher than the proportion of Swedish respondents. The different levels of LTSA could be linked to differences in social policy. In line with previous studies, respondents with low income are overrepresented with LTSA, and gender, age, and physical work also matter. In contrast to previous studies, there is not any evidence of higher levels of LTSA among non-western immigrants, people with less education, and non-managers. These results reflect the control for ‘income level’, but they could also be related to limits with the survey (non-response, response bias, etc.).

Predicting decline in functionality and chemotherapy toxicity: A prospective multicentre study

The highest preference for milder treatment options was found amongst Spanish respondents, and this was higher than for England (p=0.005). Swedish respondents were less likely to prefer milder treatments than those in England (p=0.013) (Fig. 4). Overall, the majority of respondents agreed that they would expect to be offered the same treatment choices as younger patients. Again, this proportion was highest in England. There was also, however, a strong preference for letting the doctor make decisions on the patient's behalf: some three-quarters of English respondents indicated agreement, as did the majority of those in other countries. Conclusions: The results indicate the level of acceptance of risk in choice of treatment amongst older people in the countries surveyed. Respondents in England were particularly likely to accept more aggressive options. Against this background, there was a high level of trust in doctors to make decisions on patients' behalf. Such trust clearly needs to be reflected in doctors' understanding of patient preferences and appetite for risk. In particular, matching treatment options to individual patient preferences is likely to be important in meeting patient expectations. These findings will be further investigated through in-depth qualitative interviews with older people with cancer in the UK.

Inclusion and deaf education: the perceptions and experiences of young deaf people in Northern Ireland and Sweden

The purpose of the present study is to examine what the concept of inclusion means and how it relates to children who are deaf. The paper begins with a background to deaf education, followed by specific reference to how inclusion is perceived in Northern Ireland and in Sweden. It investigates the experiences and opinions of deaf pupils in Schools for the deaf in both countries where different educational philosophies and forms of instruction prevail. A qualitative approach was adopted in which interviews were conducted with deaf pupils who were in their last school year, had left school recently or were in post-compulsory education. The results indicated that Swedish respondents described their experiences markedly more positively than those in Northern Ireland. The main reason for this was the encouragement of a deaf cultural environment where sign language was used by teachers and pupils for instruction and social interaction throughout the school. Although such a culture was not in evidence in Northern Ireland, positive experiences reported by respondents were associated with sign language and a deaf classroom assistant to facilitate comprehension between teachers and pupils. Implications are drawn for effective, inclusive practice in educational settings of deaf children.

Societal images of Cannabis use: comparing three countries

BackgroundDifferences in beliefs about Cannabis were compared between Canada, Sweden and Finland using nationally representative population surveys containing similar items.FindingsCompared to Finnish and Swedish respondents, Canadians were both more likely to have tried Cannabis and to view Cannabis as a less serious problem for society.ConclusionsThese findings emphasize the extent to which views about Cannabis can vary. It is possible that views about Cannabis are, at least in part, a social construction influenced by media, social policy and exposure to the drug that varies from country to country.

Is there something peculiar about Finnish views on alcohol addiction? – A cross-cultural comparison between four northern populations

Empirical studies have continued to display that Finns get heavily intoxicated more often than other Nordic people. This study asks whether Finnish views on alcohol problems and alcohol addiction differ from those of some other northern populations. This issue is studied by comparing survey results from Finland, Canada, Sweden and St. Petersburg, Russia. The data comprised 3 703 adults and it was analysed with standard descriptive methods and logistic regression analysis. Finnish general population respondents seemed to be at least as concerned about the risk of alcohol dependence as people in the other comparison countries. They also placed higher priority on alcohol problems among other societal problems than the respondents from the comparison countries. In issues of responsibility they were similar to Swedish respondents thus reflecting the common attitudes in Nordic welfare states. Their higher belief in the chances of recovery without treatment seems to reflect the traditional image of Finns as tough and self-sufficient people who can manage their problems on their own without external interference. The logistic regression analysis shows that the country effect still remains although the other sociodemographic variables were taken into account. In addition to this also some other background factors, particularly gender, age and education had some effect on the views. The combination of self-change optimism on the one hand and the general worry about alcohol problems on the other hand suggest that the cultural ambivalence towards alcohol consumption has not been fully resolved. This ambivalence could also be seen to contribute to the tradition of heavy binge drinking in Finland.

Prevalence of self-reported suicidal thoughts in SLiCA. The survey of living conditions in the Arctic (SLiCA)

Objectives: The Survey of Living Condition in the Arctic (SLiCA) is an international research project on health and living conditions among Arctic indigenous peoples. The main objective of this article is to examine the prevalence of self-reported suicide thoughts among the study population in Alaska, Greenland, Sweden and Norway.Study design: Population-based survey.Methods: Indigenous participants aged 16 years (15 years in Greenland) and older living in traditional settlement regions in Alaska, Sweden and Norway and across the entire Greenland were invited to participate. Data were collected in three periods: in Alaska from January 2002 to February 2003, in Greenland from December 2003 to August 2006, in Sweden from spring 2004 to 2006 and in Norway in 2003 and from June 2006 to June 2008. The principal method in SLiCA was standardised face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire. A questionnaire had among other things, questions about health, education, traditional activities, ethnicity and suicidal thoughts.Results: Information about suicidal thoughts, gender and age were available in 2,099 participants between the ages of 16 and 84 from Alaska, Greenland, Sweden and Norway. Greenland had the highest rates of suicidal thoughts when adjusting for age and gender (p=0.003). When stratifying on age and gender, significant differences across countries were only found for females in the two youngest age groups. Differences in suicidal thoughts across countries could partly be explained by educational level.Conclusion: Swedish respondents had less suicidal thoughts than those in any other countries. In the future, analyses of suicidal thoughts should take socioeconomic status into account as well as self- reported health, depression and anxiety.

Warehousing in Northern Europe: longitudinal survey findings

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the development and change in priority of international warehouse location criteria during a business cycle (i.e. from years 2006 to 2010), by examining the responses of Finnish and Swedish companies on their European‐based facilities. The authors also investigate how the size of European warehouses will develop within medium term.Design/methodology/approachThe authors' research is based on three online surveys completed during years 2006, 2009, and 2010. The 120 respondents were large Finnish and Swedish companies.FindingsFinnish companies tend to focus on the emerging East European markets through their warehousing network structure, while Swedish companies focus more on Western Europe. Selection of warehouse location is dominated by three criteria, namely distribution cost, road transportation connection, and proximity of assembly and manufacturing units. Most of the longitudinal changes occur in less important warehousing criteria; companies seem to see warehousing decisions as less complex, incorporating a lower amount of criteria in the decision. Warehouse size analysis shows that in the future, the average size will slowly continue to increase, however, both small and large warehouses have justification for their existence. Finnish and Swedish respondents were mostly aligned in terms of warehouse location criteria, however, in terms of warehouse size Swedish companies are in favor of larger units.Research limitations/implicationsResearch is limited in terms of geography and respondent size. This will limit the generalizability of the results.Originality/valueThis research is based on a longitudinal survey, and provides insight on the evolution of warehouse location criteria in changing economic conditions.

Respondent Satisfaction and Respondent Burden among Differently Motivated Participants in a Health-Related Survey

Response rates in surveys have declined in many countries over the last decade. Reasons for refusal by nonrespondents have been discussed in many studies, but less attention has been paid to motivation among respondents who do take part. One theoretical framework for studying motivation is self-determination theory, which distinguishes between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. This article describes respondents’ experiences of participating in a self-administered health-related survey. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze data from semistructured telephone interviews with 30 Swedish respondents aged 45—64 years. The results show a broad spectrum of positive as well as negative aspects of survey participation.