Migration Background and Attitudes Towards Military Service: Evidence from Sweden’s Conscription System

Peter Bäckström ()
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Peter Bäckström: Department of Economics, Umeå University, Postal: Department of Economics, Umeå University, S 901 87 Umeå, Sweden, https://www.umu.se/handelshogskolan/

No 1041, Umeå Economic Studies from Umeå University, Department of Economics

Abstract: A deteriorating security environment has led to a renewed interest in understanding individuals’ willingness to fight for their country. This study examines how attitudes towards military conscription service differ between native-born youth and those with an immigrant background in Sweden, with a specific focus on differences between first- and second-generation immigrants. Using population-wide data linking responses from a mandatory survey with high-quality administrative registers, the analysis covers nearly all Swedish citizens born between 2000 and 2004. The results show that first and second-generation immigrants have very different attitudes towards military service. While first-generation immigrants are equally, or even slightly more, willing than natives to serve in the military, second-generation immigrants are considerably less positive. These differences persist even after adjusting for socioeconomic background and migration origin, challenging a common assumption in migration research that children of immigrants converge towards majority-group attitudes across generations. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind second-generation immigrants’ lower willingness to serve.

Keywords: military service; migration background; defence willingness; Sweden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H56 J15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2026-01-16
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