Changes Regarding Attitudes Towards Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Sweden: The Diversity Barometer (2005-2018)

Abstract

This article aims to discuss changes in attitudes towards immigrants in Sweden from 2015 onwards, based on the results of the longitudinal Diversity Barometer studies from 2005-2014, 2016 and 2018. The Diversity Barometer studies are based on a national, representative, and randomly selected sample from the Swedish population, with a new sample selected each time. We have analyzed the changes from a sociological perspective, using theories such as contact theory and group conflict theory. The results show an increase in negative attitudes towards ethic and cultural diversity generally, and towards immigrants specifically. Diversity in culture and religion – especially towards Islam – is more negatively perceived as compared to diversity in the work domain. Societal groups with extensive experience from contact with foreigners, those who identify themselves as women, those who are more educated, younger people and city dwellers, have all a more positive attitude towards diversity than others.

Diversity Barometer 2020: Attitudes towards Immigration and Ethnic Diversity in Sweden

“…It is important to note that the population's attitudes to diversity have become more negative about other cultures and religions, especially Islam. The results also show that almost half of the respondents, women as well as men, argued that not all religions had the same value, and this was considered especially true for Islam (Ahmadi et al 2015(Ahmadi et al , 2020b. Thus, many people see multiculturalism as the main obstacle to integration of people with foreign backgrounds into the new national community.…”

“…Migration has become more important than before on the political agenda and Sweden's previous exemplary image on humanitarian policies has changed (Asztalos Morell and Darvishpour 2018;Crawley and Mcmahon 2016;Darvishpour and Westin 2021). In Sweden, the Diversity Barometer studies have been conducted since 2005 to examine attitudes towards immigration and ethnic diversity (Ahmadi et al 2015(Ahmadi et al , 2020a(Ahmadi et al , 2020b. The Diversity Barometer is a survey of Swedes' attitudes towards immigration and ethnic diversity.…”

“…The studies show a positive trend in Swedes' attitudes towards immigration and ethnic diversity up to 2014 (Ahmadi et al 2015). The subsequent studies in 2016 and 2018 show increased negativity towards immigration and ethnic diversity, explained by the refugee crisis in 2015 when Sweden received many refugees from the Middle East (Ahmadi et al 2020a(Ahmadi et al , 2020b. Negative public and political discourse about refugees, and restrictive immigration policies in Sweden are also attributed to the refugee crisis in 2015 (Hagelund 2020).…”

Evaluating the Influence of Instructional Approaches on the Mathematical Achievement of Immigrant Students

“…Language barriers and varying expectations often lead to misunderstandings between teachers and immigrant students, impacting their learning (Binhas & Yaknich, 2019;Celedón-Pattichis et al, 2022). For example, immigrant students may struggle to grasp word problem vocabulary, impeding their problem-solving abilities (Ahmadi et al, 2020).…”