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When the pandemic hit Sweden in early spring, Swedish politics changed character. The opposition lowered the battle axes and parliamentary parties broadly joined behind the government and authorities in the work of limiting the infection. The crisis in the crown also removed almost every other item from the political agenda.
This was something that was appreciated by a wide audience. In DN / Ipso surveys in April and May, it was much more indicated than before that development in Sweden was seen as going in the right direction. Most gave Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and the government in general good marks for his efforts against the crown.
Starting in early summer, the tone has gradually risen again in the political debate. The opposition returns to seek confrontation. The effects of this can be seen in the August DN / Ipsos survey.
The proportion that considers that Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) has handled well the corona outbreak continues to decline and is now down to 34 percent compared to 49 in May. The loss of confidence in the government as a whole has not been as great as for the Prime Minister over the summer, but it has now dropped to 36% compared to 50% in May. The rating of the Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren (S) also continues to fall in the August poll.
However, the opposition has not picked up any point in public opinion that they are now beginning to question the government’s line on the crown crisis. On the contrary. Only 14 percent believe the opposition has handled the virus outbreak well, compared to May 20 and April 30.
Nicklas Källebring is an opinion analyst at Ipsos.
– During the castle peace this spring, it seemed that all parties worked together for the best of Sweden. It is building trust.
– Now we are back in old ruts with more polarization and a higher level of conflict. Then trust in politicians falls and this also applies to the opposition, says Nicklas Källebring.
He means it The causal link is confirmed by the way optimism and pessimism in the Swedish development view have fluctuated during the year.
– When faced with one of Sweden’s greatest challenges since World War II, the proportion of optimists increased. Now there are less optimists. It’s almost only possible to connect with the way our top political representatives run and prioritize things, says Nicklas Källebring.
Read more: Weak support among Swedes for demands for oral protection
Unlike the prime minister, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell does not lose confidence. It is true that the proportion who trust him is slightly lower than in April and May, but it increases a few percentage points compared to June and reaches 63 percent.
The Swedish Public Health Agency as a whole also has stable confidence figures, although slightly lower than in April and May. Part of the picture is that the authority has recently received harsh criticism from other researchers for its unwillingness to introduce general requirements for oral protection.
– It may be that Anders Tegnell gives an impression of stability, he maintains his line despite working hard. Criticism doesn’t pay off, and he patiently responds at press conferences to the same questions he’s received hundreds of times, says Nicklas Källebring.
Swedes’ concern for the pandemic continues to decline. Fewer people believe that the crown is a threat to Sweden or to themselves. The proportion of people concerned about the effects on the Swedish economy is clearly declining, from 75% in June to 63% in August.
Confidence in the ability of health care to control the infection is stable and high, with 62 percent feeling safe with it. The level has been there since April. But only 16 percent rely on elderly care, a reflection of the high mortality rates in special housing in the spring.
Read more: Voter support falls for Social Democrats
