Latest news with #WorldValuesSurvey
Gulf Insider
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
"It's Not A Human Right To Live In Sweden" - New Integration Minister Calls For Migrant Values Survey
Sweden's new Minister for Education and Integration, Simona Mohamsson, says it's time to stop relying on gut feelings and start using facts when it comes to integration. The new Liberals leader called for plans to map immigrants' values, to find out where many sit on cultural issues that may not align with those held by native Swedes. 'It is not a human right to live in Sweden,' she said in a recent interview with Dagens Nyheter. The government has asked the World Values Survey (WVS), a global research group, to study how immigrants' views compare with those of people born in Sweden. Mohamsson says it's about time Sweden looked at hard data instead of assumptions. 'For too long, integration has been based on gut feeling and guesswork,' she said. 'With real facts, we can finally talk clearly about Swedish values and take proper action on integration.' Mohamsson pointed out that Sweden is very different from many countries when it comes to things like religion, gender equality, and family roles. 'We're an extreme country in a good way,' she said. 'People coming here can find it hard to understand how our society works.' Mohamsson said the results could lead to changes in schools, civic classes, or language courses for migrants. Past surveys have shown that many migrants arrive in Sweden with very different views on topics like divorce, premarital sex, abortion, and homosexuality. Over time, those views tend to shift — after about 10 years, migrants' values start to resemble those of Swedes. But Mohamsson says that's too slow. 'Ten years is way too long,' she said. 'That's an entire generation of girls who can't choose who they love or boys who can't come out.' 'This isn't about forcing people to change what they think. It's about making sure everyone respects the core values we have in Sweden,' she said. 'It would be strange to say some people don't need to follow those values.' However, some political parties — especially the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, who prop up the current government — consider this approach to be far too soft. They argue that Sweden has already waited too long to tackle cultural clashes and that surveys and gradual changes are not enough. Instead, they demand tough measures, including deportations or stricter immigration controls for migrants who do not accept Swedish and Western values. The Sweden Democrats recently announced they will campaign in the 2026 general election on a pledge to stop migration to the country. 'Sweden's safety must come first — even when it conflicts with the right of asylum,' its party leader, Jimmie Åkesson, wrote in May. Their concerns have gained traction amid growing unrest across Sweden. Migrant gang violence has reached record levels, with deadly shootings, bombings, and grenade attacks now at an all-time high. Police regularly report surging conflicts between criminal groups, and some neighborhoods in major cities are now described as no-go zones for locals after dark. Even the Moderate Party, which leads the current government, has begun increasing its remigration efforts and pushing for higher income thresholds for prospective migrants, in part due to mounting pressure from the Sweden Democrats and growing public frustration over crime and integration failures. Mohamsson wants to portray her party as one that understands these concerns, stressing that people who move to Sweden have a duty to try to fit in. 'It's not a human right to live in Sweden,' she repeated. 'This isn't about opinions — it's about finding out which values clash with Swedish ones.' This is one of Mohamsson's first big interviews since becoming both integration minister and leader of the Liberals. She admitted her views have changed over time — she used to oppose her party's shift to the right, but now she's a minister in a government supported by the Sweden Democrats. Asked about this, she said, 'Yeah, I've changed my mind since I first got into politics 15 years ago. When it comes to problems in schools and integration, I think the best way to fix them is through the cooperation we have now.' Despite the current government's hardline rhetoric on migration, 60,000 foreigners still received Swedish citizenship in 2023.
Local Sweden
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
What do we know so far about Sweden's plans to survey immigrants' values?
Simona Mohamsson, Sweden's education and integration minister, said in July that the government is moving forward with its plans to survey immigrants' values. What do we know about the proposal so far? Advertisement When was the survey first proposed? Sweden's then-employment and integration minister, Mats Persson, announced plans to investigate immigrants' values back in October 2024 in an interview with tabloid Aftonbladet. He said at the time that the goal of the survey was to find out to what extent immigrants' values match or deviate from what he called 'liberal democratic values'. In July 2025, Mohamsson, Sweden's new education and integration minister, confirmed to Swedish broadsheet Dagens Nyheter (DN) that the government will be moving forward with those plans, which were in 2024 expected to cost around two million kronor. What is the aim of the survey? Both Mohamsson and Persson have said that the survey will be used to guide integration efforts going forward, although it's not entirely clear what they mean by that. Mohamsson told DN that she 'is not ruling anything out'. 'It could be changes in schools, social orientation courses [for newly-arrived refugees], SFI classes,' she said. She added that the point of the survey is 'not to change people's opinions.' 'It's about upholding the values we have in Sweden. It would be strange if we said certain people didn't need to have these values.' When will it take place and how will it work? According to Mohamsson, the survey will take place in the autumn of 2025. The World Values Survey research group will be responsible for carrying out the survey at a cost of five million kronor. It will interview around 3,000 people, half of whom have a Swedish background and the other half of whom have a 'non-Western' background. The World Values Survey has carried out similar surveys in Sweden before which showed that a lot of so-called nyanlända, a term usually used to refer to newly-arrived refugees, have differing views on topics like divorce, premarital sex, abortion and homosexuality than people born in Sweden. However, after ten years in the country, their views were much closer to those of the Swedes. 'Ten years is too long,' Mohamsson said. 'That's a whole generation of girls who can't choose who they want to love or boys who can't come out of the closet.' Persson said back in 2024 that the survey will be anonymised, so it will not be possible to trace answers back to specific people, and that it will ideally take place every year. Advertisement What do immigrants think about the survey? When the government first announced plans to survey immigrants about their values, we asked The Local's readers for their opinions. Almost half (48 percent) of the 75 people who answered our non-scientific survey thought that the government's plans to survey foreigners' values was a 'good idea', with 29.3 percent stating they thought it was a 'bad idea'. The other respondents, 22.7 percent, answered 'both good and bad / don't know'. You can read the full article presenting the results of our survey here.
Local Sweden
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Sweden to map immigrants' values to boost integration
Sweden plans to survey immigrants' values in a bid to improve their integration into the country's progressive and liberal society, Sweden's new integration minister said on Sunday. Advertisement Sweden's right-wing government came to power in 2022 backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats, vowing to crack down on immigration and improve the integration of immigrants, among other things. Integration Minister Simona Mohamsson, who was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle a week ago, said Sweden's secular, unpatriarchal society can pose challenges for immigrants from more traditional, conservative countries. "We are an extreme country, in a good way. For people who join our society, it can be a little difficult to navigate," she told Sweden's paper of reference Dagens Nyheter in an interview. Previous surveys conducted by the World Values Survey research group have shown that some newly-arrived immigrants to Sweden have diverging views from native Swedes on issues such as divorce, sex before marriage, abortion and homosexuality. After 10 years in Sweden, their values had evolved and were more in line with those of native Swedes, according to the World Values Survey. "Ten years is far too long. That's a whole generation of girls who don't get to choose who they want to love or boys who can't come out of the closet," Mohamsson said. Some 3,000 people will be surveyed this autumn about their "values", half of them of Swedish background and the other half "non-Western", she explained. "The result will guide integration efforts going forward." Advertisement She said the plan was "not about changing opinions", but rather "about upholding the values we have in Sweden." Those who choose to come to Sweden have a responsibility to try to be a part of society, she insisted. "It is not a human right to live in Sweden." The Scandinavian country has taken in large numbers of refugees since the 1990s, many fleeing from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and the former Yugoslavia. But following a large influx in 2015, successive Swedish governments from both the left- and right-wing have tightened asylum rules. In 2024, around 20 percent of Sweden's inhabitants were born in another country, compared to around 11 percent in 2000, according to Statistics Sweden.
NDTV
06-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
This European Country Will Map Immigrants' Values To Boost Integration
Sweden plans to survey immigrants' values in a bid to improve their integration into the country's progressive and liberal society, Sweden's new integration minister said on Sunday. Sweden's right-wing government came to power in 2022 backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats, vowing to crack down on immigration and improve the integration of immigrants, among other things. Integration Minister Simona Mohamsson, who was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle a week ago, said Sweden's secular, unpatriarchal society can pose challenges for immigrants from more traditional, conservative countries. "We are an extreme country, in a good way. For people who join our society, it can be a little difficult to navigate," she told Sweden's paper of reference Dagens Nyheter in an interview. Previous surveys conducted by the World Values Survey research group have shown that some newly-arrived immigrants to Sweden have diverging views from native Swedes on issues such as divorce, sex before marriage, abortion and homosexuality. After 10 years in Sweden, their values had evolved and were more in line with those of native Swedes, according to the World Values Survey. "Ten years is far too long. That's a whole generation of girls who don't get to choose who they want to love or boys who can't come out of the closet," Mohamsson said. Some 3,000 people will be surveyed this autumn about their "values", half of them of Swedish background and the other half "non-Western", she explained. "The result will guide integration efforts going forward." She said the plan was "not about changing opinions", but rather "about upholding the values we have in Sweden." Those who choose to come to Sweden have a responsibility to try to be a part of society, she insisted. "It is not a human right to live in Sweden." The Scandinavian country has taken in large numbers of refugees since the 1990s, many fleeing from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and the former Yugoslavia. But following a large influx in 2015, successive Swedish governments from both the left- and right-wing have tightened asylum rules. In 2024, around 20 percent of Sweden's inhabitants were born in another country, compared to around 11 percent in 2000, according to Statistics Sweden.
Economic Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Sweden to map immigrants' values to boost integration
iStock Sweden plans to survey immigrants' values in a bid to improve their integration into the country's progressive and liberal society, Sweden's new integration minister said on right-wing government came to power in 2022 backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats, vowing to crack down on immigration and improve the integration of immigrants, among other things. Integration Minister Simona Mohamsson, who was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle a week ago, said Sweden's secular, unpatriarchal society can pose challenges for immigrants from more traditional, conservative countries. "We are an extreme country, in a good way. For people who join our society, it can be a little difficult to navigate," she told Sweden's paper of reference Dagens Nyheter in an interview. Previous surveys conducted by the World Values Survey research group have shown that some newly-arrived immigrants to Sweden have diverging views from native Swedes on issues such as divorce, sex before marriage, abortion and 10 years in Sweden, their values had evolved and were more in line with those of native Swedes, according to the World Values Survey."Ten years is far too long. That's a whole generation of girls who don't get to choose who they want to love or boys who can't come out of the closet," Mohamsson 3,000 people will be surveyed this autumn about their "values", half of them of Swedish background and the other half "non-Western", she explained. "The result will guide integration efforts going forward."She said the plan was "not about changing opinions", but rather "about upholding the values we have in Sweden."Those who choose to come to Sweden have a responsibility to try to be a part of society, she insisted."It is not a human right to live in Sweden."The Scandinavian country has taken in large numbers of refugees since the 1990s, many fleeing from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and the former following a large influx in 2015, successive Swedish governments from both the left- and right-wing have tightened asylum 2024, around 20 percent of Sweden's inhabitants were born in another country, compared to around 11 percent in 2000, according to Statistics Sweden. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Inside TechM CEO's 'baptism by fire' and the blaze he still needs to douse Can this cola maker get back bubble valuation pricked by Ambani? Delhivery survived the Meesho curveball. Can it keep on delivering profits? Why the RBI's stability report must go beyond rituals and routines Are Sebi's MII evaluations driving real change or just more paperwork? From takeovers to a makeover: Are cement stocks ready for re-rating? 8 cement stocks with upside potential from 6 to 42% Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement and return potential of more than 29% in 1 year For long-term investors with ability to ignore short-term volatility: 6 mid-caps from different sectors with upside potential of up to 39%
