Young men and young women vote more and more differently
UPDATED YESTERDAY 09:50
PUBLISHED JANUARY 2, 2024
Gender differences in party sympathies are increasing, according to statistics from the Verian polling agency. Boys are moving further to the right and girls to the left.
- "We have seen these patterns throughout the year and it is clear that they are strengthening rather than weakening right now," says Per Söderpalm, head of public opinion at Verian.
Young men and women have been voting differently for some time. But the differences seem to have increased further in 2023. If you look at the category of men 18-29, SVT/Verian's December survey shows that the Sweden Democrats receive the greatest support with just over 28 percent, followed by the Moderates with just over 21 percent. The same age range for women gives the greatest support to the Social Democrats at 37 percent followed by the Left Party at 17 percent.
https://archive.is/JezCJ/11ca711fe12...60e5b972b.avif
Bars showing how young men and women would have voted today. Photo: SVT grafik
- 'What we see is strong opposition to the Sweden Democrats, and this is a trend that we have seen this year among young women,' says Per Söderpalm.
Per Söderpalm believes that the large difference in party sympathies among young voters is due to how the genders value different issues. 'Gender equality, education and healthcare are issues that young women value highly and therefore they tend to vote more for the red-green parties. Among young men, law and order and migration are high on the list.
According to SVT/Verian's opinion polls, the differences between the sexes become smaller the older the age categories are broken down.
https://archive.is/UwBQ2#selection-367.73-367.86
