Sweden’s Social Democrats are at their lowest popularity level for the past 10 years, according to a new poll. The party is haemorrhaging support, with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s Moderate Party holding a stable lead over their rivals in the new survey by Synovate.
Polls are being published almost daily in Sweden as the general election looms closer. The current probe, commissioned by newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Sydvenskan, shows the Red-Green opposition now trailing behind the centre-right coalition, despite the former’s dominance over the last four years.
Opposition parties claimed 44.5 percent of support, while the four governing groups were just ahead with 49.1 percent, reports The Local. Support for Mona Sahlin’s Social Democratic Party stood at 30 percent, falling by five percent since April to its lowest rate in 10 years.
In comparison, the Moderate Party has increased support by 1.3 points since May to bring it to 33.1 percent, while the centre-right had a lead of 8.1 points as recently as April. The poll is also backed up by a number of other recent surveys, which found the centre-rights have a small lead over the opposition.
The biggest concern for the Social Democrats will be young voters, as the party appears to be losing support rapidly with those under 40. Participants were asked by Synovate, “If there was a parliamentary election today, which party would you vote for?” The pollsters interviewed 2,973 people eligible to vote between June 7 and 22.