Sweden Democrats lose seven points among youngest voters

The Sweden Democrats have lost seven percentage points among voters aged 18 to 21 in Sweden’s 2026 election, according to an analysis by SVT. The party’s support among the youngest voters fell from 22 per cent in 2022 to 15 per cent in the preliminary results.

Overall, the Sweden Democrats declined by 3.3 percentage points to 17.5 per cent. Support among 18- to 21-year-olds had risen steadily since 2006, when the party received 3 per cent of their votes.

The Moderates instead increased their support among the youngest voters from 26 per cent to 30 per cent. The Social Democrats remained unchanged at 20 per cent.

SVT’s election survey, Valu, also showed a growing ideological divide between young men and women since the 2022 election. Young men more often identify further to the right, while young women more often identify further to the left.

“Above all, between young men and young women, we see a continuing and growing ideological divide,” election researcher Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson said.

The Liberals would also have failed to clear Sweden’s parliamentary threshold if the youngest voters alone had determined the result. One young voter interviewed by SVT in Stockholm said he was unsure what the party stood for and that it appeared mainly to support other parties.