Support for “farm sales” (cellar-door sales at wineries, currently forbidden), a current hot-potato issue in Sweden, has increased in Sweden, according to the recent “SOM survey” conducted at the University of Gothenburg.
Despite the intensive campaign against farm sales by some organisations , more and more people want to allow it. In 2024, support rose by four percent to 58%.
In other respects, Swedes also seem to be moving towards a more liberal view. “The results from this year deviate from the last five or six years in an alcohol-liberal direction. ‘Farm sales’ is a liberalising reform, so it may have had an impact in some way on other areas,” says David Karlsson, professor at the University of Gothenburg.
However, the survey shows that support for Systembolaget is still strong, but despite this, 32% want to follow the same path as Finland and allow the sale of stronger alcoholic beverages in grocery stores (currently, only beer under 3.5% ABV is allowed).
It is interesting to note that those surveyed believe that alcohol tax is one of the most effective tools for limiting consumption – not the monopoly.
The survey says that those who regularly drink alcohol have a more liberal attitude. This group has, however, a comparatively high level of trust in Systembolaget (the Swedish retail monopoly) but is nevertheless more inclined to abolish the monopoly. Swedes’ attitudes towards the monopoly is undeniably full of paradoxes.
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