Swedish government coalition gains lead on key policy issues, new poll shows

A new opinion poll by Verian indicates that Sweden’s governing coalition—comprising the centre-right Tidö parties and the Sweden Democrats—now holds a lead over the opposition on more policy areas than before, SVT Nyheter reports.

The survey shows the Tidö bloc now dominates in ten policy areas, up from eight in the previous measurement in November 2025. Opposition parties, meanwhile, lead in eight areas, a decline of one. Several issues, including education, employment, and energy policy, remain undecided among voters.

“A slight but clear shift”
Per Söderpalm, head of opinion research at Verian, noted that while economic policy has long been closely contested, the March survey reveals a “small but clear” advantage for the Tidö parties. The coalition now leads on inflation, economic management, defence, law and order, and immigration—areas traditionally seen as their strongholds.

The opposition retains its strongest support in environmental and climate policy, gender equality, and healthcare. However, the Social Democrats (S) remain the single party perceived as leading on the most issues, with 13 of the 23 measured areas. The Moderates (M) lead in eight, while the Sweden Democrats (SD) hold two.

Methodology
Verian’s findings are based on over 1,000 web interviews with randomly selected participants aged 18–84, conducted between 23–26 March. Respondents were asked: “Which party do you think has the best policy in the following areas?”

Söderpalm cautioned that while policy ownership can influence voting behaviour, it is just one of many factors. “The Tidö parties perform better in policy ownership than in overall voter support,” he said.