This study analyses mistrust of media. Door-to-door interviews were conducted with 318 respondents in six different parts of Sweden. In 2015 the Swedish research institute SOM published an interesting study of mistrust of media in Sweden, showing that the group that mistrust the media is dominated by supporters of the Sweden Democrats.

The aim of this study is to gain understanding of the causes and nature of mistrust of media. The interviews featured both open and closed questions, covering political interest and the respondents opinions about what is good and less good in society. This essay primarily analyses the issues that concern trust in the media linked to community involvement. This essay is based on the framework of a larger study by the think tank Arena Idé. The interviews were conducted by 10 interviewers and the coding of the material was done by a person employed by the think tank. For the interview guide, a code scheme was created and the computer programme Nvivo was used for the coding. Employing theories about public connection and the hostile media effect, this study aims to provide a better understanding of popular mistrust.

The findings point to the conclusion that there are reasons to believe that a hostile media effect exists. The expressions of mistrust of media are classified into three different themes: Source criticism, Alleged obfuscation of truth, and Angling of media. The connection to society in the group with a low level of trust in the media is found to be narrow but intense.