Four in ten Swedes say no to lowering the age of criminal responsibility for the most serious crimes, including murder. The opposition is particularly strong among left-wing voters and women. According to current regulations, anyone under the age of 15 cannot be sentenced to punishment – even if the crime involves, for example, a contract killing for organized crime.
The government’s proposal to make it possible to sentence even 13- and 14-year-olds to prison for serious offenses such as murder, attempted murder, and aggravated rape is dividing public opinion. A survey by Verian commissioned by SVT shows that 42 percent are in favor, while 41 percent are against.
Being negative to the proposal in practice means wanting to keep the current order. Today, the age of criminal responsibility is 15. Anyone younger cannot be prosecuted or sentenced in court, regardless of the severity of the crime.
Sanctions such as prison or secure youth care are therefore excluded. Instead, such cases are handled by social services under the Care of Young Persons Act (LVU) or other care interventions. This means that a 14-year-old who commits a contract killing at the behest of organized crime does not receive any legal punishment.
Clear Party and Gender Differences
The differences in the survey become much larger when looking at party sympathies. Among voters who support the Tidö parties, three out of four are in favor of lowering the age.
Among those who vote for the red-green opposition parties, the situation is reversed. There, a clear majority opposes punishing young murderers.
– The proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility is a polarizing issue that divides the electorate. While opposition voters show strong resistance, there is broad support among those who vote for the Tidö parties, says Per Söderpalm, head of public opinion at Verian.
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Looking at individual parties, support is strongest among Sweden Democrat sympathizers, where 88 percent think it’s a good proposal. At the other end are Left Party voters, with nearly nine out of ten believing it’s a bad idea to imprison young murderers.
The survey also shows a distinct gender split. Among men, 52 percent are in favor of making it possible to sentence even 13- and 14-year-olds to prison for the most serious violent crimes. Among women, the corresponding figure is 32 percent.
This Is How the Survey Was Done
The survey is based on interviews with just over 1,000 people in the Sifo panel, which is recruited through random nationally representative sampling and consists of around 85,000 participants aged 18–84.
The question posed was: “There is a proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility in Sweden from 15 to 13 for certain serious crimes. What is your opinion of this proposal?”
The survey was conducted January 26–28, 2026.