The US presidential election looks set to be a very close affair – even though many analysts and betting companies have made Trump the narrow favourite.
However, if Swedish voters had been able to decide the outcome, it would have been a very different story, with almost three out of four Swedes saying they would vote for Kamala Harris of the Democrats.
Swedish media coverage has often portrayed Donald Trump as a dangerous madman, an extremist, a liar and a criminal who wants to abolish democracy and establish a form of dictatorship if he wins the election.
While it is difficult to determine exactly how much this kind of agenda-setting journalism has influenced Swedes’ perceptions of American politics, it is clear that the Republican candidate is not very popular among Swedish voters.
In the run-up to the last presidential election, almost four out of five Swedes said they preferred Biden to Trump, and in the Desmkops/Aftonbladet poll for this election, 73 per cent said they would have voted for Kamala Harris – compared to just 14 per cent for Trump.
But one group of voters stands out – among Sweden Democrat voters, 50 per cent prefer Donald Trump, which Demoskop polling director Johan Martinsson says is probably because Trump wants a tougher immigration policy.
Most think Trump will win
It is also worth noting that Swedes are most concerned about the US presidential election, followed by frustration and fear – while interest comes fourth. Again, however, it is not clear what impact the establishment media’s often polarising and alarmist election reporting has had.
– The US election affects global stability and security, and those who simply dislike Trump the most are also the most concerned that he might win. I think this is a contributing factor to the result, says Martinsson.
Although Swedes prefer Harris as president, they do not believe she can win the election – instead 48% say Trump will win – compared to 32% for Kamala Harris.
The survey was conducted between 25 October and 1 November and 1027 people were interviewed through an online survey.
