Norwegian Popular Opinion on Refugees in Norway
Though government policy has been consistently supportive of humanitarian issues involving refugees, the attitude among the Norwegian populace is mixed. A poll taken in January 2001 reports that 50% of 1400 people polled believed immigrants to be more criminal than Norwegians; only 35% disagreed with that statement. However, the same poll also reports that 93% want immigrants to have the same job opportunity as native Norwegians; only 5% disagreed on that issue.1 Websites both for and against racism have been published as the number of immigrants rises. The table below shows some of the topics of common immigration debates and the public response to these statements (in percentages).
| Attitudes towards five assertions on immigrants, 20022 |
| All | Strongly agree | Agree on the whole | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree on the whole | Strongly disagree | Don't know | Number of persons that answered | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most immigrants make an important contribution in the Norwegian work life | 100 | 18 | 48 | 12 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 1 410 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most immigrants abuse the system of social benefits | 100 | 14 | 27 | 14 | 30 | 13 | 2 | 1 405 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most immigrants enrich the cultural life in Norway | 100 | 24 | 39 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 1 409 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most immigrants are a cause of insecurity in society | 100 | 17 | 28 | 13 | 25 | 16 | 1 | 1 410 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All immigrants in Norway should have the same opportunities to have a job as Norwegians | 100 | 60 | 26 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 410 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
However, approaching the topic of Norwegian popular opinion is far too difficult from a general standpoint. The views on refugees and immigrants are not black and white; there are several shades of gray in between, and those need to be acknowledged as well.
One of the simplest methods for dividing the Norwegian people into very general belief groups is to divide along political party lines. Norway, with a complicated multi-party system, is home to many political parties, eight of which are in power today. Of these, I have chosen the four largest to represent the spectrum of thought on refugees. Follow the links below to learn more.
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Arbeiderpartiet |
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Kristelig Folkepartiet |
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Høyre |
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Fremskrittspartiet |
1 Statistisk Sentralbyrå, "Attitudes towards immigrants and immigration", n.d., <http://www.ssb.no/english/yearbook/tab/t-000130-090.html> (23 April 2003)
2 Statistisk Sentralbyrå, "Table 1: Attitudes towards five assertions on immigrants. 2002", January 2003, <http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/00/01/30/innvhold_en/tab-2002-12-04-01-en.html> (23 April 2003)