Oxford Handbook of Swedish Politics

Voter Turnout

Book Chapter
Reference
Öhrvall, Richard (2015). “Voter Turnout”. In Jon Pierre (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Swedish Politics (229–245). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Author
Richard Öhrvall

Editor
Jon Pierre

For several decades, Sweden has had a relatively high voter turnout, both in relation to the first half of the 20th century and in comparison with other countries. Still, even in this high-turnout context substantial differences in turnout can be found when comparing different population groups. Demographic characteristics and socioeconomic resources are related to the propensity to vote. A more general conclusion is that voter turnout is associated with a higher level of equality in participation. The increase in turnout in recent Swedish elections has led to a more equal participation.