Analysis of voter turnout in the 2022 general elections
Analysis of voter turnout in the 2022 general elections
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2023-05-31 8.00
Voter turnout in the 2022 parliamentary elections was 84 percent. In Sweden, voter turnout is generally high, and this is true even after the decline in voter turnout in the 2022 election, from 87 percent in the 2018 parliamentary election.
Voter turnout was equal between the sexes in the 2022 Parliamentary elections; 85% of women and 84% of men voted. The differences were greater when analysing voter turnout by age. Voter turnout differed among younger and older people in the sense that was high among the very youngest and then fell until around the age of 25 when it increased again. Among older people, voter turnout decreased rapidly after the age of 80. There were also clear gender differences among both younger and older people; up to the age of 45, women voted to a greater extent than men, and after the age of 75, men voted to a greater extent than women.
First-time voters
There are differences in voter turnout when comparing groups of first-time voters. Voter turnout among first-time voters fell from 86 to 84 percent in the 2022 parliamentary election. Voter turnout was higher among first-time voters who attended or had completed a preparatory programme in upper secondary school than among those who attended or had attended a vocational programme. There were also clear differences when looking at whether a person had Swedish or foreign background and depending on the parents' level of education. However, the strongest correlation for first-time voters' estimated probability of voting is having at least one parent voting in the election.
Voter turnout among Swedish and foreign born
There are differences in voter turnout between Swedish and foreign born regardless of age. Voter turnout has been lower among foreign-born during the entire period 1991–2022, with the greatest difference in the 2022 election when it was 22 percentage points; 89 percent compared to 67 percent. From a generational perspective on country of birth, voter turnout was highest among native-born with two native-born parents, of whom 90 percent participated in the election. Voter turnout among native-born with one Swedish and one foreign-born parent was almost as high at 87 percent. Voter turnout among native-born people with two foreign-born parents was slightly lower, 77 percent, with the lowest voter turnout among foreign-born, 67 percent.
Voter turnout and disability
People with disabilities had a lower voter turnout than the rest of the population, 76 percent compared to 87 percent. It was lower among both men and women with disabilities compared to men and women in the rest of the population. Among people with disabilities, men voted to a greater extent than women, 79 compared to 74 percent, while women voted to a greater extent than men in the rest of the population. As in the general population, voter turnout among people with disabilities was lower among younger and older people.
Definitions and explanations
For the voter participation survey, the population consists of persons entitled to vote in the 2022 elections for parliament, county council and municipal council. The persons entitled to vote can be divided into three mutually exclusive categories:
- Swedish citizens who turn 18 years old by Election Day and are registered as living in Sweden.
- Swedish citizens living abroad who are included in the electoral roll. Swedish citizens living abroad who turn 18 years old by Election Day and who have been at some point registered as living in Sweden are entitled to be included in the electoral roll. Persons who have been registered as living in Sweden at some time in the last ten years are automatically included in the electoral roll. Swedish citizens living abroad who are not included in the electoral roll must apply to be included in the electoral roll. A vote submitted from abroad is also regarded as an application to be included in the electoral roll. An application to be included in the electoral roll by a Swedish citizens living abroad is automatically valid for ten years.
- Citizens in any EU Member State, Icelandic citizens, and Norwegian citizens who turned 18 years old by Election Day and who have been registered as living in Sweden for 30 days ahead of Election Day. Citizens of other countries who turned 18 years old by Election Day, and who have been registered as living in Sweden for three consecutive years ahead of Election Day.
In parliamentary elections, parts 1 and 2 are entitled to vote. In county council elections and municipal council elections, parts 1 and 3 are entitled to vote. However, Gotland is a municipality without a county council, which means that person who are registered as living in Gotland are not included in the population of persons entitled to vote in county council elections.
The 2022 voter participation survey was carried out as a total population survey for the second time since the 1940s, which means that statistics can now also be reported by county and by municipality. Statistics Sweden’s Statistical Database includes statistics on voter turnout in parliamentary elections, county council elections and municipal county elections presented by sex, age, country of birth, education and income for the whole country, by county and by municipality.
Publication
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