Sweden's reinstated total defence system relies on citizens being prepared to contribute in the event of a crisis or war. This may involve everything from maintaining civilian preparedness and carrying out essential societal functions to participating in military defence. But what makes people willing to contribute, and what role does communication from public authorities play?
These are the questions that researchers in the new project will investigate.
"We want to understand how communication from public authorities influences people's willingness to contribute to total defence. For a society to be resilient in times of crisis, people need not only to recognise potential threats, but also to feel a sense of civic responsibility and a willingness to contribute," says project PI Roxanna Sjöstedt, Associate Professor of Political Science at Lund University, who is investigating these issues together with Hanna Bäck, professor of political science at Lund University.
The project is based on the premise that the effects of crisis communication do not depend solely on how people perceive military threats. Factors such as civic duty and national identity may also play an important role in shaping citizens' willingness to contribute to total defence.
The researchers will analyse written and visual communication produced by key Swedish public authorities. The project also includes focus group interviews with members of voluntary defence organisations, as well as surveys and survey experiments examining how different forms of communication influence people's attitudes.
"The findings may contribute to a better understanding of how public authorities can communicate effectively about preparedness, crises and defence at a time when these issues have become increasingly important," the project team argues.
The project will run between 2027 and 2031 and is conducted in collaboration with Hanna Bäck, Professor of Political Science at Lund University.
Project details
Project title: Mobilizing for Total Defense: How Public Authority Communication Shapes Citizens’ Defense Willingness
Principal investigator: Roxanna Sjöstedt, Associate Professor of Political Science, Lund University
Co-investigator: Hanna Bäck, Professor of Political Science, Lund University
Funding body: The Swedish Research Council
Grant amount: SEK 6,620,000
Project period: 2027-2031
Contact
Roxanna Sjöstedt
Associate Professor of Political Science
Department of Political Science, Lund University