Exploring Scandinavia

Scandinavian countries have an excellent reputation among tourists, as found in a 2008 article published in the journal, Scandinavian Studies, by Eric Schaad. In particular, Scandinavia is a place that is famed for its order and safety.However, there are some stubbornly myths, and here I am debunking some of the myths about Scandinavia.

Scandinavian people are also lauded for their conscientiousness, which in turn could be related to the cleanliness and order observed by tourists. There is an idea that things always function properly in countries like Sweden.

On the downside, tourists often refer to Scandinavian prices as expensive. What’s more, they sometimes describe Scandinavians as having a more subdued, genuine friendliness than people from other nations. As noted by Schaad, travel bloggers commonly mention the stereotype of a “taciturn, cold Scandinavian,” and many are delighted to find that “most people in Sweden are friendly.”

It is fascinating to see how travelers typically head to Scandinavian destinations with deeply ingrained biases that do not necessarily match their experience when they visit these countries. Below are a few more myths that can easily be debunked through observation, an openness to genuine experience, and grounding one’s opinions on scientific information.

Myth 1: Scandinavians Are Big Drinkers

Travellers and bloggers have revealed their surprise at the “transformation” of Scandinavians from peaceful and quiet to either highly sociable or aggressive, owing to the effects of alcohol. In fact, studies by Our World in Data indicate that Scandinavians rang fairly low on the list of alcohol-drinking countries. The top 10 countries in terms of alcohol consumption are the Seychelles, Uganda, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Spain, and Bulgaria. Scandinavian countries are not even within the top 15 entries in this list.

Want to know more about drinking in Scandinavia? Just click the image below.

Myth 2: Scandinavians Are All Blonde and Blue-Eyed

Regional differences in hair and eye colour are not as prevalent as many people realize. Over 90% of the world’s population has either brown or black hair. On a global scale, blonde and red hair are actually anomalous and eye and hair colour does not differ from one area to another as much as many people believe. Having said that, there is no doubt that there is a higher percentage of blonde, blue-eyed people in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, than in many parts of the world. The highest percentage of fair-haired people can be found around the Baltic Sea (including Denmark, the Polish Coast, and the Baltic states). As a whole, it is estimated that in countries like Sweden, around 54% of people have blonde hair. In other words, although blonde hair is more common, it is by no means universal.

Myth 3: Scandinavians Do Not Speak English Well

Despite stereotypes presented in some comedies, Scandinavians do speak English—and they speak it well. Statistics indicate that around 80% do so fluently, with urban areas such as Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö having higher English proficiency rates. There are many reasons why Scandinavians are such good English speakers—including the fact that English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic all belong to the same core language family—Germanic. What’s more, many Scandinavian countries have adapted common English words to replace words in their own language. You can expect to find a high percentage of English speakers throughout countries like Sweden, so if you’re visiting, feel free to ask locals about suggestions for everything from attractions to dining spots.

 By clicking the image below, you can learn about the 5 most common mistakes Scandinavians make when speaking English.

Myth 4: Most Scandinavians Are Depressed

A common stereotype about Nordic countries is that their peoples are depressed, owing to the fact that in some parts of Scandinavia, countries are plunged into darkness for half of the year. In fact, rates of depression in these countries are similar to what they are in the rest of the world. Overall, depression affects about 5% of the general population. In Nordic countries, it impacts between 3.5% and 5% of people. Interestingly, Nordic countries often top the polls as the happiest in the world, as found by the UN and the OECD.

There are various myths that are frequently perpetuated by the media and the film industry. These include the myths that Scandinavians are all blue-eyed, big drinkers, and depressed. Many travellers are surprised to find that reality differs greatly from their expectations—which is just one of many fantastic reasons to visit one or more Scandinavian countries.

Debunking Myths About Scandinavians, written dedicatedly for Daily Scandinavian by Karoline Gore. Karoline is a freelance writer from Stoke on Trent in the UK who left the corporate grind when she started a family and has never looked back. She enjoys contributing to a range of online publications on the topics that are important to her.

Feature image (on top) © pexels / cottonbro studio

The most competitive and productive country in the world is Denmark. But the country also has the highest tax burden. What about people in the Nordics? Here you will find six possible explanations why Nordic Countries rank high on Happiness and Finance indexes.

In most cases, happiness and general well-being are linked to money, but that’s not always the only explanation. However, in most cases they do have something to do with a wallet.

Why do people in Nordic countries consistently rank as the happiest and what can we learn from them?

1. Trust in government

The Swiss Institute for Management Development issues the World Competitiveness Ranking Index. For second year in a row, Denmark has been ranked as the no. 1 country in the world.

The UN organization Unctad has launched a new index, Productivity Capacities Index. It measures a country’s capacity to produce goods and services, so that the economy can grow and develop. In this ranking too, Denmark comes out best of all countries.

Want to know more about the gigantic Norwegian Wealth Fund? Just click the image below.

But not all wealthy countries have happy inhabitants. Singapore, one of the wealthiest in the world, sits for instance at 25th place, while Saudi Arabia, the world’s seventh richest, sits at 26th.

One reason might be that Nordic countries are known for having low levels of income inequality. However, researchers have not proven that it actually correlates with high life satisfaction.

What they have been able to prove, however, is that if income inequality leads to mistrust, then it does directly contribute to lower life satisfaction. Simply put, people really do hate feeling cheated. Trust in government might therefore be the number one explanation.

2. Environmental factors

Last week, the cooperative organization for the rich countries, OECD, launched its biennial report on how well politicians govern their countries. Government at a Glance does not select winning countries but ranks the countries according to a number of different criteria. Denmark scores very high on many important indicators.

Studies indicate that 60 to 70 per cent of the difference in happiness between people is caused by environmental factors, so again, what governments do are important.

3. Democracy

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranks Norway as the most democratic country in the world, a score Norway has retained for several years.

Want to learn more about the Norwegian democracy? Just click the image below:

The quality of government institutions and welfare state have an important and positive impact on life satisfaction, so much in fact, that the Corruption Perception Index can work as a predictor of who will make it to the top or the bottom of the happiness ranking.

Progressive taxation leads to happiness via public and common goods such as health care, education, and public transportation that the taxation helps to fund. And ultimately, you guessed it, trust. People trust the money will be used and distributed wisely.

4. The Employment Situation

Statistics from the OECD show that Norway, Sweden and Denmark are the three countries with the most employees in the public sector. The proportion of employed people is 30.9 per cent, 29.4 per cent and 28 per cent respectively. The average for all OECD countries is 18.6 per cent.

Want to learn about growing job fields in Sweden? Just click the image below.

Data shows people are more satisfied with their lives in countries where there is institutional quality. That’s usually divided into the democratic quality and delivery quality. The latter is the one more strongly related to citizen happiness, according to the WHR: good pensions, generous parental leaves, maintenance for the ill and disabled, free health and education, solid unemployment benefits, etc.

5. Openness to International trade

Earlier this year, the Swiss bank Credite Suisse published its third economic analysis of small countries. The main conclusion is that many small countries do well because of their openness to international trade. It ensures that the countries must be competitive in order to manage in the global economy.

6. Well-functioning welfare states and a good social safety net

The Nordic countries show that it is entirely possible to combine economic success and sustainability with a good social safety net.

The Danes also manage to combine a good city life and an impressive gourmet culture. The EIU recently named Copenhagen the second best city to live in after Vienna.

So, the Nordic countries have managed to enter a very virtuous cycle, where efficient and democratic institutions are able to provide citizens security, so that citizens trust institutions and each other, which leads them to vote for politicians that promise and deliver a successful welfare model.

Six Explanations Why Nordic Countries Rank High on Happiness and Finance Indexes, written by Tor KJolberg

Feature image (on top): © Photo by Raimond Klavins / Unsplash