The Politicization of Immigration and Welfare: A New Swedish Dilemma

• In Event: 147 - Regular Session. Political Sociology 2

Abstract

According to the progressive’s dilemma, diversity and solidarity are not easily combined, and recent empirical research, which shows most Europeans do not support both immigration and redistribution, lends support to this claim. In this paper, we extend this research to measure the relationship among different configurations of immigration-welfare attitudes and support for political parties. We focus on Sweden, a country known for its tradition of social democracy, reputation of social progressivity, and relatively recent high rates of immigration. We examine attitudes towards immigration and the welfare state in the months prior to the 2014 Swedish national election and then assess their relationship to political party support. We find that attitudes consistent with the progressive’s dilemma—specifically supporting redistribution but opposing immigration and social spending on immigrants—are actually rather widespread in Sweden. We show that individuals who hold that particular combination of attitudes are more likely to support the Sweden Democrats, the country’s radical right party. Individuals who support immigration but oppose redistribution are more likely to support Sweden’s traditional center-right parties, known as the Alliance.

Authors

• Maureen A. Eger, Umeå University

• Joakim Kulin, Stockholm University