Majority of Swedes think it should be illegal to burn the Quran

Over half of Swedes, 53 percent, agreed that burning holy books should be banned, according to the survey by Kantar Public on behalf of public broadcaster SVT.

This is an increase of 11 percent since Kantar Public asked the same question in a survey for TV4 back in February. Kantar Public's senior advisor Toivo Sjörén believes that this increase is in part due to the international reaction to recent Quran-burnings by individuals in Sweden.

"Many countries have tried to benefit from or have criticised the Quran-burnings, which affects Swedish interests and the Nato accession. I think that's one of the biggest reasons," he told SVT.

Just over a third, 34 percent, of Swedes believed it should be legal to burn holy books – down from 43 percent in February – while 13 percent, down from 16 percent in February, were unsure or didn't know. 

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A Quran-burning protest outside a mosque in Stockholm last week provoked reactions across much of the Muslim world.

"It has had a wide and active spread around the world with direct effects," Sjören told SVT.

"The issue has been raised by the UN and there are a number of Muslim countries which have protested against it. It's very systematic the way in which the Quran-burnings have been used to discredit Sweden."

The survey, which was carried out online in July 2023 with 1003 respondents, showed that women to a greater extent than men were in favour of banning the burning of holy books. Almost two thirds, or 63 percent, of women were in favour of a ban, while only 42 percent of men held the same view.

"One of the reasons is the integration aspect, that this affects groups with an immigrant background in Sweden, and that's a more important issue for many women," Sjörén told SVT.