Sweden: Plurality against religious schools

Sweden: Plurality against religious schools


None of the parties in parliament want to ban religious school, but the voters lean towards a ban.

In a survey conducted by Synovate for Dagens Nyheter, 46% said they think churches and other religious groups should be banned from having elementary schools in Sweden. Just 40% of the approx 1,000 respondents said it should be allowed, while 14% are unsure.

The Green voters showed the greatest opposition to religious school: 62%. Christian Democrats were most supportive: 55% think denominational schools should be allowed.

The government will present its new proposed education act to parliament in a few weeks. The bill says lessons in religious schools should be objective and factual and not contain religious elements. On the other hand, it's open to voluntary grace and morning prayers not during class, reports DN.

The number of children in religious schools has increased by 58% in the past decade, from 5,071 in 1999 to 7,622 in 2008/2009. The vast majority, 78% are students of Christian schools.

Source: Expressen (Swedish)