A Positive International Image of Sweden - Fantasy or Reality? : -An Analysis of how the Image of Sweden has Changed over Time in American Media

Abstract Bachelor thesis in Political Science by Fanny Pettersson Bergström, spring term 2017. Supervisor: Sara Svensson. A Positive International Image of Sweden - Fantasy or Reality? -An Analysis of how the Image of Sweden has Changed over Time in American Media. This thesis is about the image of Sweden and the Swedish international brand and how these are communicated in the American media. The study is motivated by the increased debate about whether the international image of Sweden is positive or negative. The debate about the image of Sweden has enhanced partly because of the more common use of concepts like Nation Brand and Nation Branding which is becoming increasingly more important for states in a globalized world. The image of Sweden was further brought to attention in connection with the US President Donald Trump's statement about an unknown event in Sweden in February 2017, which created multiple headlines in the United States as well as in Sweden. The aim of the thesis is therefore to investigate whether the media in the United States convey a positive or negative image of Sweden in the years of 2011, 2014 and 2017. This partly to determine the current image of Sweden but also to gain understanding of whether the image of Sweden in the American media has changed over time. The essay also investigates what content can be derived from the image of Sweden during the years studied. The thesis consists of a two-step method where both parts form the basis for the analysis. The first step involves a quantitative content analysis where positive and negative words are searched for in articles about Sweden within the surveyed articles of each year. The second step is a qualitative discourse analysis where 16 articles were selected by randomly unbound selection to be read deeper for increased understanding of the image of Sweden from above mentioned years. The conclusions from the analysis is that there is great difficulty in categorizing the image of Sweden as positive or negative, it is considerably more complex and consists of both positive and negative aspects throughout all the years studied. In spite of this, the image of Sweden is somewhat more positive in 2014 and 2017 in comparison with 2011 where the image was perceived as more negative. Violence, crime, safety and equality can be said to be largely linked to the Swedish image in the US media over the years studied, also progressiveness as well as thoughtfulness. The result of the thesis contributes to an increased understanding of the international image of Sweden and how it can have effects on national Swedish politics. Keywords: Image of Sweden, Nation Branding, Media, Nation perception