Förhållandet mellan civilsamhällsengagemang och partipreferenser - “det är komplicerat”
(2026) STVK04 20252Department of Political Science
- Abstract (Swedish)
- This study examines the relationship between civil society engagement and party choice between the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats in the 2022 Swedish general election. Drawing on prior research on civil society, political participation and changes in the Swedish party system, the study adopts a mixed-methods design. The quantitative analysis uses data from the 2022 Swedish National SOM survey and applies a binary logistic regression with socio-economic and demographic controls. The qualitative component consists of semi-structured interviews with individuals active in civil society organisations, which are thematically analyzed to explore potential underlying mechanisms. The results show that higher civil society engagement is... (More)
- This study examines the relationship between civil society engagement and party choice between the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats in the 2022 Swedish general election. Drawing on prior research on civil society, political participation and changes in the Swedish party system, the study adopts a mixed-methods design. The quantitative analysis uses data from the 2022 Swedish National SOM survey and applies a binary logistic regression with socio-economic and demographic controls. The qualitative component consists of semi-structured interviews with individuals active in civil society organisations, which are thematically analyzed to explore potential underlying mechanisms. The results show that higher civil society engagement is weakly but consistently associated with a higher probability of voting for the Social Democrats rather than the Sweden Democrats. However, the effect is small and close to conventional significance thresholds. Other factors such as gender, trade union membership and place of residence show stronger associations with party choice. The qualitative findings complement these results by indicating that self-selection is a key mechanism. Overall, civil society engagement appears to function as a contextual background factor rather than as a mobilizing force in shaping party choice in contemporary Sweden. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Civil society engagement has traditionally been viewed as an important foundation of democracy in Sweden. Through engagement, people are expected to build trust, become more politically involved and develop social networks. However, as the political landscape in Sweden shifts and the Sweden Democrats grow in strength, the question arises whether civil society engagement still matters for political preferences today. This study shows, by examining the 2022 Swedish general election, that the link between being active in civil society and choosing the Social Democrats over the Sweden Democrats is weak. Instead factors like gender, union membership and place of residence are much stronger indicators of how a person will vote. This study... (More)
- Civil society engagement has traditionally been viewed as an important foundation of democracy in Sweden. Through engagement, people are expected to build trust, become more politically involved and develop social networks. However, as the political landscape in Sweden shifts and the Sweden Democrats grow in strength, the question arises whether civil society engagement still matters for political preferences today. This study shows, by examining the 2022 Swedish general election, that the link between being active in civil society and choosing the Social Democrats over the Sweden Democrats is weak. Instead factors like gender, union membership and place of residence are much stronger indicators of how a person will vote. This study suggests that self selection is more common, meaning that individuals tend to seek out organisations and activities that already reflect their existing interests and values. These findings are relevant for policymakers and civil society organisations. If civil society is expected to reach broader groups and bridge political divides then active efforts are required to lower barriers to participation and include those who currently feel excluded. Civil society remains important, but not in the simple way it is sometimes assumed to be. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9217164
- author
- Lindenskoug, Moa LU and Ingemansson, Fiona LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- STVK04 20252
- year
- 2026
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- civilsamhällsengagemang, föreningsliv, socialt kapital, Sverigedemokraterna, Socialdemokraterna
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9217164
- date added to LUP
- 2026-01-26 11:51:28
- date last changed
- 2026-01-26 11:51:28
@misc{9217164,
abstract = {{This study examines the relationship between civil society engagement and party choice between the Social Democrats and the Sweden Democrats in the 2022 Swedish general election. Drawing on prior research on civil society, political participation and changes in the Swedish party system, the study adopts a mixed-methods design. The quantitative analysis uses data from the 2022 Swedish National SOM survey and applies a binary logistic regression with socio-economic and demographic controls. The qualitative component consists of semi-structured interviews with individuals active in civil society organisations, which are thematically analyzed to explore potential underlying mechanisms. The results show that higher civil society engagement is weakly but consistently associated with a higher probability of voting for the Social Democrats rather than the Sweden Democrats. However, the effect is small and close to conventional significance thresholds. Other factors such as gender, trade union membership and place of residence show stronger associations with party choice. The qualitative findings complement these results by indicating that self-selection is a key mechanism. Overall, civil society engagement appears to function as a contextual background factor rather than as a mobilizing force in shaping party choice in contemporary Sweden.}},
author = {{Lindenskoug, Moa and Ingemansson, Fiona}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Förhållandet mellan civilsamhällsengagemang och partipreferenser - “det är komplicerat”}},
year = {{2026}},
}