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According to a new poll by YouGov, a large majority of people in Sweden support the country joining the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and oppose the deployment of nuclear weapons on Swedish territory.
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The nationally representative survey, conducted in May 2026, found that 73% of respondents support Sweden joining the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty, while only 8% oppose membership. The findings also show that 65% oppose Sweden hosting nuclear weapons from another country, despite ongoing discussions about possible nuclear cooperation with France. Since Sweden joined NATO in 2024, the country has been covered by the so-called United States’ nuclear umbrella, and this year the Swedish government has also been discussing nuclear cooperation with France and Britain. Defence Minister, Pål Jonson, has said he believes nuclear weapons could be deployable to Sweden in wartime, but this poll clearly shows Swedish citizens would be against this. There has also been a media debate in Sweden about the need for Sweden or the Nordic countries more broadly to develop their own nuclear weapons. Sweden did have a nuclear weapons programme in the 1950s which it abandoned in the 1960s when the country joined the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear state. The poll comes as Sweden prepares to hold a general election on 13 September and its findings suggest these government and media discussions are at odds with the views of Swedish voters. Josefin Lind, Secretary General of Swedish Physicians against Nuclear Weapons (Svenska Läkare mot Kärnvapen) said “Sweden has opposed nuclear weapons for decades based on the indiscriminate harm they cause. With nuclear risks as high as they are, nuclear disarmament must become part of the next government’s foreign policy priorities again. Swedes want security without nuclear weapons, not nuclear weapons on Swedish territory.” The findings reinforce previous opinion polls showing long-standing public opposition to nuclear weapons in Sweden. The country voted in favour of adopting the TPNW at the UN in 2017, but has not joined it, despite public support for joining remaining consistently high. The Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Melissa Parke, welcomed the results of the new poll: “The Swedish public has spoken clearly. This poll shows that support for banning nuclear weapons is not a fringe view, it is the clear majority position in Sweden.” The TPNW entered into force in January 2021 and has now been signed or ratified by 100 countries; a majority of eligible states. It comprehensively prohibits the development, testing, production, possession, transfer, use, and threat of use of nuclear weapons. The public opinion poll was commissioned by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and conducted by YouGov in May 2026 using a nationally representative sample of Swedish adults. |
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For further information or to request an interview, contact: Alistair Burnett, ICAN Head of Communications [email protected] +41 78 238 7179 |
Further reading:
ICAN endorses Nobel Laureates’ Rome Declaration on AI and Nuclear Weapons
NATO leaders need to understand more nuclear weapons make them less safe – ICAN
Tonga becomes 100th country to join UN Nuclear Ban Treaty
Global spending on nuclear weapons increased 19% in 2025 to reach its highest recorded level at $118.8 billion
Finnish public opposed to lifting nuclear weapons ban – new poll
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