A new Verian survey shows that the Tidö parties have strengthened their position in several key issues and are closing the gap with the opposition. In the twelve most prioritized issues, it's a dead heat between the blocs. This sets the stage for an even election campaign ahead of next year's vote.
A fresh Verian survey, based on around 1,000 web interviews from November 17 to 23, measures voters' trust in parties' policies across 23 issues. The results indicate that the Tidö parties – the government alongside the Sweden Democrats – now own eight issues, compared to the opposition's nine. This marks an improvement from June, when the Tidö parties owned seven and the opposition eleven.
In the twelve issues voters rank as most important, the situation is balanced: four go to the Tidö parties, four to the opposition, and four are tied. The Tidö parties are seen as strongest on law and order (SD 25%), defense (M 31%), and immigration (SD 32%). The opposition dominates in environment and climate (MP 24%), healthcare (S 31%), and equality (S 25%). Ties exist in areas like the national economy, school and education, and energy policy.
"In opinion polls, the opposition has a clear lead, but when we look at issue ownership, the picture is more even," says Per Söderpalm, head of opinions at Verian. He emphasizes that economic issues are particularly close and could be decisive for the election.
At the party level, the Social Democrats own the most issues, a total of 15 out of 23, followed by the Moderates with six and the Sweden Democrats with three. Analyst Mats Knutson notes that it's too early to count out the Tidö parties, despite the opposition's lead in standard polls. The survey suggests potential for an even campaign in 2026, where issue ownership could determine the outcome.