REPORT: Immigrants more willing than Swedes to risk life to defend Sweden
People with foreign backgrounds in troubled suburbs are more willing than native-background Swedes to put their lives at risk and defend Sweden in the event of a military attack, according to a new survey.
The survey, carried out by the research wing of annual political festival Järvaveckan, quizzed people living in so-called vulnerable suburbs about their willingness to take up arms and put their life on the line to defend Sweden.
A total of 51 percent of people with foreign backgrounds said they would be fairly or very willing to defend Sweden, and 31 percent said they were not at all or not particularly willing.
Among Swedes in the same suburbs, only 41 percent said they would be fairly or very willing to defend Sweden, and 48 percent described themselves as not willing.
Almost one in three (30 percent) people with foreign backgrounds in vulnerable suburbs said they would be “very” willing to defend Sweden, compared to 17 percent of their Swedish neighbours.
“That people who once sought protection in Sweden are now ready to stand up for the country’s defence indicates a strong sense of community and belonging,” Ahmed Abdirahman, the founder of Järvaveckan, which is held every year in northern Stockholm suburb Järva, said in a statement.
In other parts of Sweden, which were not broken down by national background, 47 percent said they would be willing to risk their life to defend Sweden and 40 percent said they wouldn’t be.
However, people with foreign backgrounds in vulnerable suburbs on the whole appear to trust the Swedish Armed Forces less than their Swedish neighbours do, the survey also suggests.
Of people with Swedish background, 73 percent said they had fairly high or very high confidence in the Armed Forces, compared to 58 percent of those with foreign backgrounds.
“To create a stronger and more inclusive society, we have to make sure that all voices are heard and that trust between the citizens and defence institutions are strengthened,” said Abdirahman.
“It starts with open dialogue and an effort to understand each other. The lower confidence in the Armed Forces point to a clear need for presence [in vulnerable suburbs] on the part of authorities to strengthen the ties to those groups that are often overlooked,” he added.
The survey, which quizzed 4,300 people in total from 122 countries of origin, defined “foreign background” as people born abroad or born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents.
The question of naturalised Swedes’ willingness to take up arms to defend the country became a talking point earlier this year after Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in a speech implied that they were not – although previous studies also suggest that the opposite may be the case.
When The Local in 2022 asked our readers how they felt about the security situation in Sweden, as many as three quarters said they would be willing to defend Sweden in the event of armed conflict.
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The survey, carried out by the research wing of annual political festival Järvaveckan, quizzed people living in so-called vulnerable suburbs about their willingness to take up arms and put their life on the line to defend Sweden.
A total of 51 percent of people with foreign backgrounds said they would be fairly or very willing to defend Sweden, and 31 percent said they were not at all or not particularly willing.
Among Swedes in the same suburbs, only 41 percent said they would be fairly or very willing to defend Sweden, and 48 percent described themselves as not willing.
Almost one in three (30 percent) people with foreign backgrounds in vulnerable suburbs said they would be “very” willing to defend Sweden, compared to 17 percent of their Swedish neighbours.
“That people who once sought protection in Sweden are now ready to stand up for the country’s defence indicates a strong sense of community and belonging,” Ahmed Abdirahman, the founder of Järvaveckan, which is held every year in northern Stockholm suburb Järva, said in a statement.
In other parts of Sweden, which were not broken down by national background, 47 percent said they would be willing to risk their life to defend Sweden and 40 percent said they wouldn’t be.
However, people with foreign backgrounds in vulnerable suburbs on the whole appear to trust the Swedish Armed Forces less than their Swedish neighbours do, the survey also suggests.
Of people with Swedish background, 73 percent said they had fairly high or very high confidence in the Armed Forces, compared to 58 percent of those with foreign backgrounds.
“To create a stronger and more inclusive society, we have to make sure that all voices are heard and that trust between the citizens and defence institutions are strengthened,” said Abdirahman.
“It starts with open dialogue and an effort to understand each other. The lower confidence in the Armed Forces point to a clear need for presence [in vulnerable suburbs] on the part of authorities to strengthen the ties to those groups that are often overlooked,” he added.
The survey, which quizzed 4,300 people in total from 122 countries of origin, defined “foreign background” as people born abroad or born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents.
The question of naturalised Swedes’ willingness to take up arms to defend the country became a talking point earlier this year after Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in a speech implied that they were not – although previous studies also suggest that the opposite may be the case.
When The Local in 2022 asked our readers how they felt about the security situation in Sweden, as many as three quarters said they would be willing to defend Sweden in the event of armed conflict.
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