STOCKHOLM July 2 (Xinhua) -- A recent poll has found that the issues of environment and climate change are becoming increasingly important to Swedish voters, Swedish television (SVT) reported on Tuesday.
Research conducted by Novus, a market research group in Stockholm, surveyed 1,000 Swedes to find which political issues the population considers most important.
The environment and climate change is high on the list, with 45 percent of respondents considering it an important political issue. This is a dramatic increase from 33 percent in February.
Whilst healthcare remains the most important issue for Swedish voters, the environment has seen the biggest increase in public concern.
This change may be due to the European Parliament election, said Novus CEO Torbjorn Sjostrom.
"We have just finished the European election and, within the European Union, the environment is one of the most important issues because it is a global issue. When all parties spoke about the environment during the election, it became more important for voters. So this is probably an overflow effect from the election," Sjöström told SVT.
Other issues that are also of increasing concern are education and elderly care.
The poll also showed that women and men have differing priorities in terms of political issues. The environment and climate change are more important among women than men, 56 percent vs 35 percent. Environmental issues are also more important among young voters, the highly educated and students.
