Friday, 13 September 2002

A new Nordic study conducted by Zapera shows that only 20 percent of Danes, Norwegians, Finns and Swedes believe that refugees and immigrants have the same opportunities to obtain employment in the public sector as other segments of the population. The highest reading was found in Denmark, where 28 percent thought that refugees and immigrants have the same opportunities to get jobs in the public sector as other groups, and the lowest level was found in Sweden, at 14 percent.

In comparison, almost twice as many (39 percent) believe that refugees and immigrants have the same opportunities for employment in the private sector as other segments of the population. There are some differences among the countries on this issue as well, with the percentage who believe that refugees and immigrants have the same opportunities as others to get work in the private sector ranging from 24 percent of Swedes to 48 percent of Finns.

“The study points out a serious PR problem for the entire public sector in all of the Nordic countries,” says Mads Stenbjerre, Research Director. “As long as the unemployment rate is much higher among immigrants than among other groups, one might have expected that the public sector would lead the way in the integration of foreigners by being more willing to hire refugees and immigrants. Regardless of whether or not it is the correct conclusion, this result means that the public sector is seen as a hindrance to integration in the Nordic countries.”

For further commentary, please contact Mads Stenbjerre at ms@zapera.com or +45 2673 0696.

About the study: This study was conducted from 6-16 August 2002. A total of 1,000 persons over the age of 15 in each country (DK, SE, NO, FI) were interviewed. All the respondents were selected from Zapera’s Nordic Internet panel of more than 62,000 members. The respondents were selected on the basis of each country’s demographic breakdown by sex, age and geography.

Zapera A/S is the leading Internet-based market research institute in the Nordic countries with offices in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki. Zapera is a full-service market research institute that conducts opinion polls, media tests, client satisfaction studies and many other types of study. Zapera’s online panel consists of more than 62,000 individuals throughout the Nordic region. Zapera cooperates with Aston Group, GfK and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Zapera has conducted projects for Carlsberg, Nordea, SAS, Arla and others. Zapera is the first market research institute to receive an IT security certification from PricewaterhouseCoopers in order to ensure the integrity of its clients’ and respondents’ IT facilities.