According to major media reports, nearly 770,000 people aged 18 to 24 will vote in the September election, representing one in ten voters. The number of first-time voters is higher than in the previous election, as indicated by multiple reports. This demographic shift underscores the growing influence of youth in the electorate, with their priorities and tools for decision-making under scrutiny.
Research from the SOM Institute offers insights into the issues that may matter to young voters aged 16-24. According to SVT Halland, Daniel Jansson, a research communicator at the SOM Institute, described that issues such as school and education, or climate, are not particularly important for younger voters based on their report. The specific issues most important to young voters in the 2026 election remain unclear, as do which political parties or candidates appeal most to them.
One might expect that issues such as school and education, or climate, to be important for younger voters, but that is actually not something we see.
Other trends observed by the SOM Institute include young people using election compasses, social media, and AI tools when deciding how to vote, though the impact of these tools on voting behavior is not yet known. County-level data reveals varying numbers of first-time voters: Halland County has 16,415, Stockholm County has 109,562, Kronoberg County has 9,426, Gotland County has 2,515, Blekinge County has 7,345, and Jämtland County has 5,781, according to official sources. The sources for these different statistics reported by SVT Halland and Helsingborgs Dagblad have not been specified, and the other issues that attract young voters' attention according to the SOM Institute report are also unknown.
According to SVT Halland, Oliver Ångström, a first-time voter in Varberg, described planning to watch debates and use SVT's election compass to inform his vote.
I will watch debates, and do SVT's election compass I think.