That's why it's so good for the left in the big cities

Segregation In many of Europe’s big cities, the left is moving forward. The support for the Left Party has doubled since 2010. A possible explanation is the tough housing market, according to a researcher.

When it comes to getting a home, it is sometimes misery. Then you blame capitalism,” says Bo Malmberg, professor of geography at Stockholm University.

In Sweden’s four largest cities, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Uppsala, the red-green parties have had political governance since the 2022 election. In Stockholm, the Left Party has moved forward in recent municipal elections. From almost 7.5% in 2010 to just over 15% in 2022. At the same time, the Green Party has been in power for twelve years in various constellations. In the SCB’s June party sympathy survey, 12.1 percent of Stockholmers said they would vote for the Green Party in parliamentary elections this year. In the 2022 election, the party received 6 percent of the votes in the City of Stockholm.

The red-green wave is also visible in Europe. In the German parliamentary elections in 2025, the Left Party Die Linke became the largest party in Berlin. In Copenhagen, the Green Left parties Enhedslisten and the Socialist People’s Party received the most votes in the municipal elections in 2025, with 22.1 and 17.9 percent respectively.

At the same time wins Sweden Democrats voter support in rural Sweden. In a survey of Ekot after the last election, comparing votes in rural and metropolitan municipalities, the Sweden Democrats received 26 percent of the votes in sparsely populated to just 16.3 percent in cities. Eva Andersson, professor of geography at Stockholm University, has in her research looked at how different types of life courses, which paths individuals follow from birth to old age, interact with voice behavior.

“If you look at a scale from the city to the countryside, you can see that the Green Party and Sweden Democrats are clearly different. There are other regional differences, not just about city and country. For example, a significantly lower proportion in northern Sweden votes for Sweden Democrats than it is in southern Sweden,” says Eva Andersson.

Stockholm especially

That it can look so different in different areas depends largely on the composition of the population. Central to the cities, there are more young students. A little further out of the suburbs are young average income earners in multi-family homes. Then comes areas with well-ordered homeowners, such as Danderyd, and vulnerable groups in suburban areas. Medium-income residents in the villa are often further out of the city center and then the percentage of people with low incomes increases the further out into the countryside they come.

Eva Andersson’s research also shows that segregation increases with age. Between 25 and 35, we tend to live more mixed, more often in rental law, but as soon as you buy a house, the segregation increases and persists throughout the life course. Attitudes to the diversity of ethnic groups depend largely on the geographical context in which one lives. Where there is much diversity, you are more tolerant and vice versa. There are also studies that show that those who live in rental law vote more left, says Eva Andersson. At the same time, high income earners tend to vote for the Moderates. Questions such as mortgage rates and interest deductions may not be particularly important to tenants, but more important to those in the villa, Eva Andersson speculates.

Stockholm is also very special. While there is high segregation in the city, there are areas where you still live more mixed than you do in villa-dominated areas.

Overall, there are common attitudes, norms and voting habits among the population. You make and interpret the reality that you live closest to, it is called neighborhood effects,” says Eva Andersson.

Different discontent

Her colleague Bo Malmberg, professor of geography at Stockholm University, highlights that there are several different concepts that explain the differences between metropolitan and rural areas. One of them is “Left Behind Places.” Intensive economic and technological developments are largely concentrated in metropolitan areas, but areas that are not affected remain in the periphery. What is dissatisfied with can differ between town and country.

“What is dissatisfied with in the big cities is the situation in the housing market. You can make a lot of money when you live in the big city, but when it comes to getting a home it is sometimes misery. You can pay three million for some damp square meters,” says Bo Malmberg.

In the past, the housing issue was not something that mobilized the left. But today there are many radical young people in Sweden and Europe who are upset by the situation.

They blame capitalism. Airbnb and interests that drive and support the housing crisis. This is generally true in all cities. These are tough conditions for young people, says Bo Malmberg.

Unhappy development

Meanwhile, metropolitan residents have access to business, services and a consumer life that shines with their absence in rural areas. The development of the segregation and the different voice behaviors is unfortunate, says both Eva Andersson and Bo Malmberg.

A certain type of thought pattern is enhanced by the segregation. It will be hard to agree to deal with different issues that affect us all, if we have so different perceptions of how the world works and do not meet people with other perceptions.

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