Societal security in a divided society – Comparative perspectives on the effects of sociotropic and personal threats in Sweden

As insecurity in society seems to increase, more voices are raised that renounce the liberal principles on which the open, democratic and secure society rests. Why is this?

The capacity to uphold societal security in Sweden today is challenged by factors that occupy the mindset of citizens that are to say the least difficult to control.

Although they are not new phenomena, the recent and ongoing pandemic, and the increase in open and organized violence, have taken prominent roles in public debates and in policies that restrict freedom in society. The pandemic and open violence are phenomena which are inextricably connected to societal security.

There is an urgent need to explain how these factors are more precisely connected and interact with important pillars for a secure and free society – namely trust and political tolerance.

Therefore, the proposed project will contribute knowledge that can be used to strengthen national preparedness and crisis management capabilities and that are crucial for societal security.With a special focus on political tolerance and trust, the aim of the project is to describe and explain how sociotropic threats and individual threats – manifested in the Covid-crisis and the rise in open and organized violence in Sweden – impacts on the capacity for the state to provide for societal security, and thereby highlighting and exposing the necessary conditions for maintaining a good national preparedness and crisis management capability.