Young Swedes becoming increasingly conservative

Many young people in Sweden who have grown up with the forced consequences of multiculturalism are far from satisfied with what the left-wing parties have created and are moving increasingly to the right. This is shown in the Youth Barometer 2025.

According to the study, there are more young people aged 15-24 who place themselves politically to the right than to the left (34 and 24 percent, respectively). Just like at the national level, there is also a big difference between the genders, where boys lean more to the right and girls more to the left or center.

The study also shows that American politics has a great influence on Swedish youth – 31 percent state that the country’s political development affects how they think they would vote in a Swedish election. 16 percent say they would vote more to the right, and 15 percent more to the left, than otherwise.

– Even though the interest in politics is slightly decreasing among young people, Trump does not go unnoticed by anyone. The fact that the development in the USA causes a group of young people to lean more to the right is interesting, as there is an idea of a left-wing wave as a reaction to his politics, says Ulrik Hoffman, CEO of the Youth Barometer.

Young boys like Trump

At the same time as more young people place themselves to the right, Donald Trump is far from equally popular. Only twelve percent of those surveyed are positive towards the American president. Split by gender, the appreciation is 20 percent among boys and only three percent among girls.

Among 17-18-year-old boys who will vote for the first time next year, however, 35 percent are positive.

According to Ulrik Hoffman, young people who are positive towards Trump often have a more conservative worldview, believe that men should reclaim a stronger role in society, and express greater distrust towards the media. They are also said to show a higher interest in individuals such as Andrew Tate and Elon Musk.

Great distrust towards the media

Almost half of those surveyed, 46 percent, believe that the media withholds information and lies to deceive the people. Many young people also believe that established news sources can be biased or make mistakes, especially in reporting on politically sensitive issues.

– The distrust of the media is clear, especially among those who are positive towards Trump. This group follows the news more often and uses other sources, such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and podcasts. Although traditional media are perceived as more credible among young people in general, they are not seen as flawless when it comes to gathering information, says Henrik Jodén, social and skills supply expert at the Youth Barometer.

SD popular in school elections

In the school election for the European Parliament last year, the Sweden Democrats won with 24.5 percent of the votes, closely followed by the Moderates at 24 percent. The Social Democrats took third place with 18.5 percent.