Satir och dess förmåga att förstärka eller utmana befintliga åsikter hos unga vuxna i Sverige. En kvalitativ studie inom produktion, tolkning och upplevelse av satir i Sverige

Abstract

This study explores how political satire is perceived and discussed by young adults in Sweden, how they relate satire to their personal political opinions and how political satire is produced in a country with strong public service values. Political satire is described as a complex communicative form that combines both humour and political commentary and requires an active interpretation from its audience. The study combines three group interviews, 3-4 people in each group, with young adults from the age 20-30, as well as one semi-structured interview with a well-known Swedish comedian and satire-producer. The material is analyzed using the encoding/decoding model, framing-theory and the uses & gratifications theory. The research questions in this study are as followed:

How is political satire perceived and interpreted by young adults in Sweden? This research question focuses on how young adults make sense of political satire and how meaning is formed through interpretation. The findings show that satire is perceived as engaging and easy to access, especially through digital media. At the same time, it is described as vague, with interpretations shaped by political views, cultural references and social interactions with others. In what ways do young adults in Sweden experience political satire as confirming, changing, or challenging towards their existing views? The focus with this question is to analyze how participants themselves describe the role of satire in relation to their political views. The results indicate that satire is mainly perceived as confirming existing opinions, rather than changing or challenging them. While satire can encourage reflection and critical thinking, it is not experienced as a primary influence of political opinion formation. How does a producer of satire reason about the production of political satire in Sweden? This research question addresses how political satire is produced within a Swedish media context. From the producer’s perspective, satire is shaped by the public service standard in Sweden, such as balance and impartiality which influences both content and framing. The producer emphasises engagement and reflection as central goals, while recognising that audience interpretations may vary. To summarize, the study shows that political satire in Sweden functions as a complementary form of political communication, where humour and critique are combined and interact, and where meaning is shaped through interpretation rather than direct persuasion.