Swedish National Election Study 2026 – Call for Proposals
The next large national election study in Sweden will be conducted in conjunction with the general election in September 2026. We invite the research community to submit proposals for survey instruments to be included in the study. Proposals will be evaluated by the SNES principal investigators.
The Swedish National Election Studies (SNES) program has carried out voter surveys at every election since 1956. The surveys are financed by the Swedish government. The core questionnaire includes both time-series and longitudinal components, which occupy most available space. Key indicators of electoral behavior and democratic well-being remain part of Sweden’s official democracy statistics. Previous questionnaires are available here.
This call offers researchers the opportunity to integrate survey instruments into a large-scale, high-quality voter survey. Due to limited space, only a small number of projects/research groups will likely be able to include short instruments and/or influence item selection in existing question batteries.
Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated by the SNES team. Submissions should be emailed to valforskning@pol.gu.se and ideally include:
- A clear theoretical justification/research problem.
- Suggested survey question(s) and their added value to SNES.
- Pre-test documentation/previous data collections (if available).
- A strategy for data analysis.
- A publication plan.
Priority will be given to applicants who present well-developed and well-motivated survey instruments with clear publication potential. Applicants are expected to publish their results internationally in article format, but also to contribute a shorter piece in an edited volume or report based on SNES 2026.
Study Design
SNES 2026 will follow the traditional design with pre- and post-election questionnaires. All pre-election respondents receive a short post-election survey. The sample (eligible voters aged 18 and older from the census registers, RTB) consists of existing and new panels. Respondents are split evenly between the pre- and post-election surveys.
Data collection will combine mail-back and web surveys, with conditional incentives and multiple reminders via mail and SMS. The expected net response rate is around 50%.
Data Availability
Data will be released in stages to allow for management and validation. Some variables are collected from census registers, and turnout is validated against official records. Final versions of key dependent variables (turnout and vote choice) will be made available after the election.
Access to microdata may require ethics board approval. The SNES team will assist researchers in this process.
Deadline: 31 October 2025. Decision will be communicated in December 2025.