Multiculturalism threatens Swedish trust

Swedish trust and social cohesion were for a long time quite unique :censored:6:cdd6bbaa89:ly and formed a strong foundation for a safe and successful country. However, this trust is now being dismantled—the more multiculturalism, the less trust there is between people. Today, there are major differences in trust depending on where in the country you ask.

At the end of 2025, the Community Barometer was launched, which examines safety and trust at the municipal and district level. The figures show clear disparities in different parts of the country.

– Sweden has traditionally been a high-trust country compared to others. What’s interesting about the survey is that the picture becomes more nuanced and fragmented when you look at community level and not just the country as a whole. There are such big differences at the local level that we can hardly talk about one Sweden anymore, says Lars Trägårdh, visiting professor at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF) at Uppsala University, who leads the work on the Community Barometer.

The survey was conducted by Statistics Sweden (SCB) and covers 50 municipalities. At least 400 people in each municipality responded to the questionnaire.

Among those born in an EU country, 58 percent state that most people can be trusted. The corresponding figure for those born outside the EU is barely 38 percent.

The highest levels of trust were measured in Umeå with 77 percent and the lowest in Ronneby with 42 percent. It is noted that several municipalities with the lowest general trust are towns that were previously dependent on a large industry which has now been discontinued.

There are also major differences when it comes to perceived safety. People in Sundbyberg are the most worried about gang-related crime, and those in Sorsele the least. When it comes to feeling unsafe in the evening, Helsingborg fares worst and Storuman best.

When it comes to trust in the local community, Malmö comes last and Sorsele the highest.

The report that was recently released is an interim report focusing on trust and safety. At the same time, a large amount of data remains to be analyzed. More interim reports on other themes will be published in the future.