Trust in NATO falls in Sweden while confidence in royal family rises: Survey

ISTANBUL

Public trust in NATO has declined in Sweden over the past year, while confidence in institutions such as the police, the armed forces, and the royal family has increased, according to the Swedish Media Academy’s 2026 Trust Barometer.

The survey found that 47% of respondents expressed “high or fairly high” trust in NATO, marking a drop of 10 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Bjorn Ronnstrand, a member of the Swedish Media Academy, said the decline may be linked to recent tensions within the alliance.

“We believe that one explanation for the decrease in trust is that we conducted the survey when the NATO crisis was very intense,” Ronnstrand told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

“When two NATO countries find themselves in conflict over Greenland, NATO has suffered a blow that has certainly affected the results,” he added.

Despite the decline, NATO still ranks among the institutions that Swedes trust the most, alongside the UN and the Church of Sweden.

The survey showed that the police remain the most trusted institution in Sweden, with 75% of respondents expressing confidence, followed by universities and colleges, healthcare institutions, and the courts.

Confidence in the Swedish Armed Forces also remained high at 69%.

The Swedish royal family reached record levels of trust, with 53% of respondents expressing confidence, placing it above the state, parliament, and government.

Ronnstrand said the increase could reflect public reactions to global instability.

“We experience a troubled world with war and believe that people have a need to seek out established institutions like the royal house,” he said.

“There is security in the fact that something is normal in society,” he added.

The survey also showed growing trust in the Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank, which rose by 15 percentage points to 64%.

Meanwhile, trust in social media platforms remained low. Confidence in Google dropped slightly to 27%, while TikTok recorded only 2% trust among respondents.