Swedish election highlights decline of center-left parties across Western Europe
Sweden’s general election extended two trends now prominent across Western Europe: The rise of right-wing populist parties and the decline of center-left parties.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Sweden’s general election extended two trends now prominent across Western Europe: The rise of right-wing populist parties and the decline of center-left parties.
Large majorities in eight Western European countries trust the military, ranging from 84% in France to 66% in Spain. Similarly, eight-in-ten Americans have confidence in the military.
Americans and Western Europeans have broadly similar views on certain social and political issues. For example, majorities of Americans and Western Europeans see immigrants as beneficial to their economies and support certain rights for gays and lesbians.
Americans’ views of Robert Mueller’s investigation – and Donald Trump’s handling of the matter – continue to grow more polarized.
They tend to be more left-leaning, more progressive in their social and political views, more receptive to immigrants and more favorable toward the European Union. They are also more mixed in their views of traditional center-left parties than older Western Europeans.
Across Western Europe, people who say they personally know a Muslim are generally more likely than others to have positive opinions of Muslims and their religion. However, knowing something about Islam – as opposed to personally knowing a Muslim – is less associated with positive feelings of Muslims and Islam.
Here are some key facts about how supporters of Italy’s populist Five Star Movement and League parties stand out from the rest of the Italian public.
A median of 23% in eight key countries in Western Europe name immigration as one of the top two problems facing their country.
Western Europeans have a clear preference for television as a source of news. And while use of online and radio outlets for news is also widespread, print trails the other formats.
Nationalist and anti-immigrant attitudes in Western Europe have been an issue in a number of recent national elections around the region. But Western Europeans vary by country when it comes to having positive or negative views about immigrants and religious minorities.
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