Of those who see integration and immigration as a very big problem, 65% think the experts don't have the necessary knowledge to handle those issues (SE). More than 90% of Sweden Democrats voters think the same.
Via The Local:
Three of four Swedes consider issues which address integration and immigration to be a contemporary Swedish problem, with four in ten sceptical of the experts on the issue, a new survey published on Tuesday shows.
"Xenophobia and democracy issues have come into focus with the Sweden Democrats' (SD) entry into Sweden's Riksdag. Some commentators argue that SD's success is a result of journalists and politicians concealing facts and problems with immigration. Others argue that a perceived 'taboo' in the immigration debate is little but a cherished myth," wrote Camilla Modéer, secretary-general of Public & Science (Vetenskap & Allmänhet - VA), with Arne Modig from Novus Opinion, in an opinion article in the Dagens Nyheter daily on Tuesday.
Camilla Modéer told The Local on Tuesday that the survey is part of a wider study, with Gothenburg's SOM institute and Novus, looking into the connection between scientific knowledge and views held by the general public.
"We know from the previous studies that many Swedes are in a form of 'knowledge-exclusion', making it harder to make important choices and less able to participate in the public discourse," Modéer said, explaining that VA decided to apply what had been learned on a current topic.
The survey shows that while 74 percent of the 1,000 Swedes interviewed believe that experts and scholars hold the necessary knowledge to handle the issues of immigration and integration "in a positive way", four in ten reported feeling scepticism towards their presentation.
While Modéer argued that a healthy scepticism to what is written in the media and elsewhere is positive, she expressed concern over this result, arguing that knowledge was key to making informed decisions about issues affecting society.(more)
