‘The Swedish Condition’: Representations of Religion in the Swedish Press 1988–2018

The aim of this article is to examine changes and continuities in thecoverage of religion in Swedish daily newspapers between 1988 and2018. Previous research has shown that Sweden in comparison withother Nordic countries is more secular in terms of its population’sreligious belief and practice, and more tolerant of immigration andreligious diversity. Against this background the article discusseswhether the representation of religion in four selected newspapersduring 2018 reveals a change with regard to trends identified in previous studies, covering the period between 1988 and 2008. It especiallyasks if such changes indicate the continuity of the ‘Swedish condition’,meaning a more tolerant approach to religious diversity as expressedin the daily press. The analysis shows that the coverage of religion inthe Swedish press during the period between 2008 and 2018 developsthrough parallel trends of the continued acknowledgement of religious diversity, a heightened focus on Islam and the public presenceof religion, and more contestation with regard to the political andsocial implications of this situation. In assessing these trends furtherstudy is needed concerning the interrelations between media representations of religious diversity and changes in other institutions inSwedish society such as politics, law, and education.