STOCKHOLM, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Three-quarters of Swedish people believe their country is moving in the wrong direction, while one in three say following the news makes them feel nauseous, according to a poll published on Thursday.
Pessimism about how the country is developing has not been as pronounced since researchers at the University of Gothenburg first began polling on this issue in 2012.
Less than 10 percent of those who took part in the annual survey conducted by the university's Institute of Society, Opinion and Media Habits (SOM) said that Sweden is moving in the right direction.
"We don't ask (the respondents) what their (pessimistic) view is based on, but I assume that it is crime and shootings, rising inflation, and the cost of food," said Annika Bergstrom, research director of SOM.
When asked about their view of the state of the Swedish economy, nearly 90 percent of respondents said it had worsened over the previous year.
"The figure is almost as high as during the major economic crisis in the beginning of the 1990s," Bergstrom said.
The poll also found that a majority are pessimistic about the future, with 60 percent of respondents saying they believe that the Swedish economy will deteriorate further in the coming year.
When asked about the state of their private finances, 45 percent responded that their situation had worsened over the last year -- up from 34 percent a year earlier.
Regarding the media, 35 percent of respondents said the news made them "feel sick."
More than 12,000 individuals took part in the poll, which was conducted between mid-September and the end of December 2023. ■
