This paper investigates how Swedish upper secondary school students relate to the financial support available from the Swedish state of education. It also looks at the attitudes of such students to the new CSN[1]truancy rules as they apply to school politics.

Is there a difference in students’ attitude to these truancy rules and does that difference depend on the students’ socio-economic standard, whether they come from a wealthy background or a marginalised society or whether they are ethnic Swedish? Does this in any way affect the attitudes of the students?

This financial support is only paid to those students who do not skip school. If they lose their right to this contribution because of truancy, their parents will also forfeit the right to the financial subsidies to which they may be entitled. Naturally, this may affect students in different ways, depending on what kind of financial situation their family is in.

Do some students go to school out of their own financial interest or out of that of their parents? Through focus-group interviews, students have expressed their opinions, told about their experiences and stated their attitudes with regards to these matters. The results of these interviews are based upon which school they go to and where the school is situated and these results have subsequently been analysed through Max Weber’s and Immanuel Wallerstein’s sociological theories about society, nation, class and gender.

[1]Centrala Studiestödsnämnden- Swedish Financial Aid for Studies