Are Christian Values Religious or Political? The Case of Sweden

Traditionally, priests and churches claim the right to define the content of Christian values. When Christian values are politicised by politicians and parties, between political and religious actors, we may find a potential contest in how to define the concept of Christian values and with what content it is loaded. While political actors may emphasise that Christian values concern certain societal norms or cultural phenomena, religious actors may also, or primarily, load the concept with a content that is not obviously related to party politics. This study analyses changed opinion for foster a society with Christian values and the extent to which these changes may be caused by religious or political factors such as support for Christian Democratic parties, anti-immigration opinion, and radical right-wing populist parties among one of the world’s most secular populations: the Swedes. Data are two national surveys conducted in Sweden in 2014 and 2020. The findings support that in a strongly secularised population, religious actors have no monopoly to define the content of Christian values. Instead, political actors also claim to be able to load the concept of Christian values with meanings relevant for party politics.