How many Swedes now favour the euro?
A majority of Swedes want to keep the krona, but support for the euro is on a steep rise, according to a new survey by Gothenburg University.
The proportion of respondents who think introducing the euro would be a good idea has grown from 16 percent in 2022 to 30 percent last year. Meanwhile, 43 percent said they opposed it, down from 56 percent two years ago. The remaining respondents were undecided.
Support for Swedish EU membership on the whole fell somewhat in the same period, from 68 percent to 62 percent, which is still higher than it was in 2021. The survey, part of Gothenburg's annual SOM surveys, was carried out in autumn 2023 and questioned 12,143 people.
Unlike Denmark currently or the UK before Brexit, Sweden does not actually have a formal opt-out of the euro - as is commonly believed.
It's 1994 accession treaty requires it to join the euro, provided that it meets certain conditions - including ones governing budget deficits and exchange rates.
However, a close referendum in 2003 saw about 56 percent of Swedes vote against adopting it.
That's led to Sweden deliberately not fulfilling all of the criteria for joining the euro - giving it a legal loophole to stay out of it, even though it is technically required to join if and when it ever fulfills those.
Swedish vocabulary: support – stöd
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The proportion of respondents who think introducing the euro would be a good idea has grown from 16 percent in 2022 to 30 percent last year. Meanwhile, 43 percent said they opposed it, down from 56 percent two years ago. The remaining respondents were undecided.
Support for Swedish EU membership on the whole fell somewhat in the same period, from 68 percent to 62 percent, which is still higher than it was in 2021. The survey, part of Gothenburg's annual SOM surveys, was carried out in autumn 2023 and questioned 12,143 people.
Unlike Denmark currently or the UK before Brexit, Sweden does not actually have a formal opt-out of the euro - as is commonly believed.
It's 1994 accession treaty requires it to join the euro, provided that it meets certain conditions - including ones governing budget deficits and exchange rates.
However, a close referendum in 2003 saw about 56 percent of Swedes vote against adopting it.
That's led to Sweden deliberately not fulfilling all of the criteria for joining the euro - giving it a legal loophole to stay out of it, even though it is technically required to join if and when it ever fulfills those.
Swedish vocabulary: support – stöd
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