We conduct annual attitude surveys to learn how the Swedish public views science, research and researchers. On this page, you can read about these surveys and our other studies investigating public attitudes.
Researchers’ Night, Stockholm 2018.
Our annual attitude surveys are conducted in two different ways:
The VA Barometer has been conducted annually since 2002 through telephone interviews with a sample of individuals representing the Swedish public aged 16-74, in cooperation with Exquiro market research company.
As part of the National SOM surveys, postal questionnaires are sent to a representative sample of 3,000 Swedish individuals aged 16-85 years living in Sweden. This Science in Society-survey has been conducted by VA in cooperation with the SOM Institute, (Society, Opinion, Mass Media) at Gothenburg University since 2002.
Other studies:
Communication about Corona is investigating media reporting and public trust during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the following articles and summaries you will find summarised results from the surveys:
To have a clearly described societal benefit is said to be an important factor for people to be able to have confidence in research. But it seems that this matters less and may even have the opposite effect. This is one of the findings of a new study undertaken by the Swedish non-profit association VA (Public & Science) investigating the Swedish public’s views of humanities research.
Traditional news media continue to be Swedes’ main source of news about the coronavirus. Researchers enjoy a high level of confidence and the lifting of restrictions in Sweden did not affect public confidence in the professional groups who comment on the coronavirus. These are the results of a follow-up survey conducted by the non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science) to investigate communication about the coronavirus in Sweden.
Never before have so many Swedes had such high confidence in researchers at universities. This is one of the findings of this year’s VA Barometer, conducted by the Swedish non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science). It is the 20th Barometer since it was first conducted in 2002.
Researchers belong to the professional groups that most Swedes trust, when they comment on the coronavirus in the media. This is one of the findings of a new study recently published by the non-profit Swedish organisation VA (Public & Science).
The corona pandemic has been a dominant topic in public discourse since the winter of 2020. In collaboration with researchers at Södertörn University and Karolinska Institutet, VA (Public & Science) has conducted a study to investigate how people in Sweden are receiving and interpreting information about the pandemic, and how the pandemic is being reported by the media. The objective was to investigate what influences people’s perceptions in a crisis situation where research and researchers play a central role amidst a constantly changing flow of information.
Swedes’ confidence in government officials varies greatly depending on their political leanings. Politicians are perceived as more in agreement when it comes to their views on how the corona pandemic is being handled in Sweden. These are some of the latest findings of a study being conducted by the non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science) to investigate communication about the coronavirus in Sweden.
Researchers are perceived as more in agreement when it comes to their views on how the corona pandemic is being handled in Sweden. The tone of news reporting on the coronavirus is perceived as more alarmist than in February. These are some of the latest findings of a study being conducted by the non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science) to investigate communication about the coronavirus in Sweden.
Confidence in government officials who comment on the coronavirus is at its lowest level since the start of the pandemic. Journalists are perceived to be less in agreement than previously when it comes to their views on how the pandemic is being handled. These are some of the latest findings of a study being conducted by the non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science) to investigate communication about the coronavirus in Sweden.
Swedish Television (SVT) remains the most common and trustworthy news source about the coronavirus for Swedes. Healthcare professionals are the professional group that Swedes have the most confidence in. These are some of the latest findings of a study being conducted by the non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science) to investigate communication about the coronavirus in Sweden.
