What's in the study guide for the Swedish civics citizenship test?

On May 6th, the Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och Högskolerådet) released the study booklet for the new civics test that Swedish citizenship applicants will be required to pass.

The booklet, which is in the form of a 48-page PDF, goes over everything that applicants may need to know in order to pass the test. It's pretty user friendly and straightforward in content – but it's also in Swedish, so if you'd like a handy overview, in English, of what to expect, The Local is here to help.

READ ALSO: Sweden's first citizenship test to be held on August 15th

Overview

First, the big picture. The guide has 13 chapters and covers the basic elements of Swedish society and Sweden as a country, including its geography, history, political system, cultural traditions, laws, societal norms, and human rights protections. There is an emphasis on explaining how Sweden's democracy functions, and the role of citizens in preserving the democratic system and a pluralistic society which upholds the rights of individuals, minority groups, and the vulnerable. The chapter on modern Swedish history – the only history chapter, strictly speaking – is also the longest chapter and covers key changes to the government, society, and economy of Sweden from the 1800s.

Chapter 1: Geography

This chapter covers the basic elements of Swedish landscape, climate, population (11 million), and natural resources. It includes information about Sweden's main lakes (Vänern, Vättern och Mälaren); its length from northernmost point to south (1600 km); that Sweden has a long coast bordering the Baltic Sea (Östersjön); and that it is historically divided into three geographic areas, called Götaland, Svealand, and Norrland.

Sweden's geographical location in the Nordics alongside Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland is discussed, as is the fact that Sweden's climate is relatively mild for how far north it is, due to the Gulf Stream (Golfströmmen). The mountain range bordering Norway (fjäller) is also discussed, as are Sweden's many islands, including Gotland and Sweden's numerous archipelagos (skärgårdar).

It also outlines Sweden's natural resources, particularly water (vatten), forests (skog), and iron and other minerals (järnmalm och mineraler), and discusses Sweden's efforts to combat climate change, including how individuals should play their part by taking public transit, conserving energy, and properly sorting recycling.

Chapter 2: Sweden's democracy

This is the first of many chapters that focus on the democratic governing system in Sweden. It goes over the basic idea underlying democratic systems, i.e. that it is government by the people (folkstyre) and outlines the citizen components of a strong democracy, including voting in elections, getting involved in political parties or civil society, discussing politics with friends and neighbours, protesting, starting union groups at work, and voicing your political opinion to politicians or in the media.

The second part of this chapter covers threats to democracy, including low voter turnout; false information being spread, especially on social media; politicians, journalists, and others who participate in public debate being threatened; and segregated areas which lead to people being isolated from the rest of society. 

Chapter 3: Levels of government

This chapter goes over the different levels of government in Sweden – national (staten, literally "the state"), regional (regioner), and local (kommuner) – and their respective areas of responsibility. It also briefly explains that Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, which means that the head of state is a king or queen who has a purely symbolic role with no political power. The names of the current King (Carl XVI Gustaf), the crown princess (Victoria) and her eldest child (Estelle) are also given.

The role and responsibilities of Swedish government agencies, or authorities (myndigheter) is also covered. Five Swedish agencies are named as examples: Arbetsförmedlingen (Employment Office), Försäkringskassan (Social Insurance Agency), Migrationsverket (Migration Agency), Polismyndigheten (the Police Authority) and Skatteverket (the Tax Agency). This (short) section also gives the information that all Swedish government agencies have to follow the direction of the elected government. 

Chapter 4: Elections and political parties

This chapter outlines how voting and political parties function in Sweden, including the fundamental principle that political parties represent groups of people who have different ideas on how the country should be governed.

It then provides basic facts about voting in Sweden, including: the minimum voting age is 18; the voting process is completely secret; and elections for Sweden's three levels of government are held every four years (and elections for Sweden's representatives at the European Union are every five years). It also points out that while only Swedish citizens are allowed to vote at the national level, registered residents of Sweden who have lived in the country for at least three consecutive years can vote in regional and local elections.

The voting system of proportional representation is briefly outlined. In a proportional representation system, the number of seats a party receives is directly proportional to the number of votes that party gets. To prevent marginal parties from holding too much power, a party must reach a 4% threshold before it gets a seat in parliament. 

The chapter also lists the eight political parties currently sitting in Sweden's national parliament:

Chapter 5: Laws and the justice system

This chapter goes over the four fundamental laws that together make up Sweden's constitution (Grundlagarna): the guarantee of basic rights and government empowered by the people (regeringsformen), freedom of the press (tryckfrihetsförordningen), freedom of expression (yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen), and the law of succession (successionsordningen), which governs who succeeds to the Swedish crown.

There is a special section in this chapter on allemansrätten, the right to roam, explaining that the public's right to access natural spaces in Sweden is very old and protected in the constitution. The section also outlines the limits to allemansrätten, including, for example, trespassing on someone's private garden or a farmer's field.

The various branches of Sweden's judiciary system are then outlined, including the police, the courts, public prosecutors, the crime victims agency, and the prison & probation service. It is emphasized that these authorities must operate within the rule of law and with respect for the rights of the individual. Key principles such as legal certainty and the rule of law (rättssäkerhet) are described, including that everyone is treated equally before the law, no one is convicted without a process, and everyone has the right to a fair trial.

Chapter 6: The role of the media

This chapter describes the role of a free press in Sweden, explaining that there are a wide variety of media outlets in Sweden and journalists play an important role in holding people in power to account. It outlines the different types of media in Sweden, distinguishing between private media companies and independent state-funded media like SVT (Sveriges Television).

There is also a small section on the importance of consuming media critically, noting that since anyone can post anything they like to various online and social media platforms, it is important to verify information with reliable sources.

Chapter 7: Human rights

This chapter goes over Sweden's approach to human rights in some detail, beginning with the general principle that all people have equal human rights and going into the history of human rights law in Sweden, with a focus on the 1948 United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

There are then relatively extensive sections on: gender equality (jämställdhet mellan könen); gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence (könsrelaterat våld), and the rights of children(barns rättigheter), minorities and indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ (Hbtqi) people. There is also a section on discrimination laws, hate crimes, and the Discrimination Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen).

Chapter 8: Job market and personal finances

This chapter goes over how the Swedish labour market functions, including work, job loss, and the relationship between employers and employees in Sweden. It discusses the difference between the public and private sectors, and outlines the relationship between employer organisations (arbetsgivarorganisationerna) and employee organisations, or unions (Fackliga organisationer or fackförbunden)

There are then shorter sections on unemployment supports (a-kassa) and taxes (this part explains that wages are taxed in Sweden and not paying your taxes is illegal), as well as personal finances. The personal finances section gives a basic overview of things like savings, wages, loans, mortgages, and debts.

Chapter 9: The welfare state

This chapter describes the fundamental idea underlying Sweden's welfare state (that it exists to "provide all residents with basic economic and social security") and explains that the welfare system is funded by taxes. 

It then breaks down which levels of government are responsible for which key aspects of Sweden's welfare state. For the national government (staten) it lists pensions, sick leave, parental leave, unemployment insurance, student aid and child allowance as key responsibilities.

At the municipal level (kommuner), schools (skolor), childcare (barnomsorg) including preschool and after-school care (förskolor and fritids), elder care (äldreomsorg), and social services are among the main services given. Regions are responsible for healthcare.

Chapter 10: Modern history of Sweden

This is the longest chapter in the study guide. It goes over Sweden's transformation from an agricultural society to an industrial society in the 1800s. There are then sections on Sweden's path to becoming a democracy, the pivotal role of the "people's" or worker's movements (folkrörelser), and a brief passage on Sweden's neutrality in the First World War.

There is a, likely important, longer section covering Sweden's big modernising push in the early 20th century, with sub-sections on: the idea of Swedish society as "the people's home;" the "Swedish model" of labour agreements decided by unions and employer organisations, not government; and those left out or discriminated against during these years, including discussion of Sweden's ugly history with "race biology". 

There is a somewhat detailed section on the second world war, including some of the compromises Sweden made with the Nazis in order to not be drawn into the war, and the Jews who took refuge in Sweden. There are then two more long main sections on Sweden's history post-WWII: one outlining Sweden's "record years" of strong economic growth, including that growth turning it into a desirable destination for immigrants, and the other on Sweden's transformation into a globalised digital information society. 

Chapter 11: Sweden's role in the world

Following naturally from where the previous chapter left off, Chapter 11 discusses Sweden's current role on the world stage, including detailing its international cooperation and security agreements.There are sections on Sweden's cooperation with the other Nordic countries, the other European countries (including Sweden's place in the EU), and the rest of the world. The global cooperation section outlines Sweden's role in the UN (FN, förenta nationerna in Swedish) and has a brief passage on Sweden's work to aid international development projects.

There is a defense and security policy section which goes over Sweden's long history of peace and official neutrality, and its gradual change in the post-cold-war period to being a more involved player – including becoming a member of Nato in 2024. This section also discusses the responsibility of the Swedish state to protect Sweden's inhabitants, as well as Sweden's "total civic defense" (totalförsvarsplikt) approach to security, wherein everyone between the ages of 16 and 70 living in Sweden may be required to help defend the country, if necessary.

Chapter 12: A secular state with religious freedom

This chapter explains that Sweden is a secular state with laws that respect individual religious freedom, meaning that the state itself is secular and a 1951 law protects the right of all people in Sweden to choose their own beliefs or faith. The Church of Sweden officially separated from the Swedish state in 2000.

It then goes over the role religion currently plays in Swedish society, with sub-sections describing the major religions that have a home in Sweden today: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. 

Chapter 13: Traditions and holidays

All the big Swedish holidays are listed here, with brief descriptions for each one. The sections are organised in calender-year order, so you can read about New Year's (Nyår), Easter (Påsk) and Valborg (valborgsmässoafton) first, then head down through the year to Advent, Lucia, and Christmas (jul) at the end. 

That's all for now, folks! I hope you enjoyed this overview as much as I enjoyed making it. We'll be doing some practice quizzes on the study booklet material later in the spring/summer, so you can look forward to those too.