Crisis of confidence in society's ability to handle cyber threats

Tomorrow Report is a recurring future report from Nexer that examines the Swedish people’s views on digitalisation and new technology. This year’s edition focuses on Swedes’ attitudes to digitalisation, cyber security and national digital defence capabilities – and how these have changed from 2022 to 2024.

SOME OF THE REPORT’S KEY INSIGHTS:

• The percentage of Swedes who believe that digitalisation will lead to a better future has dropped from 66% to 58%.
• 84% of Swedes believe that digitalisation increases the risk of disinformation.
• One in four men and one in five women say they have been victims of cybercrime.
• Only 2 out of 10 Swedes trust that authorities and businesses can protect themselves against cyber-attacks.
• 8 out of 10 Swedes are willing to lend private digital equipment to the military in the event of war or crisis.

“The report clearly shows that we face significant challenges with decreased trust in digitalisation as an enabler, while Sweden is falling behind in global cyber security rankings. On the other hand, we see a continued strong will from the Swedish people to contribute to the nation’s security. The fact that 8 out of 10 Swedes are willing to contribute with private digital equipment to the Swedish Armed Forces should be seen as a resource and a strong testimony of a united country”, says Lars Kry, CEO, Nexer Group.

Declining confidence in the potential of digitalisation
The decline in optimism about the potential of digitalisation can be linked to a number of factors, including frequent cyber-attacks, an increased global threat environment, and a growing awareness of the risks of digital technologies. Fewer people believe that digitalisation can reduce the number of conflicts in the world, while more people believe that it will lead to more dangerous weapons. On the other hand, more and more people believe that digitalisation leads to increased welfare and better law enforcement, highlighting the dual nature of digitalisation as an enabler and potential peacemaker, but also a source of new tensions.

Fewer believe that digitalisation leads to greater democracy
Swedes’ belief that digitalisation can promote democracy has changed with a trend towards increased scepticism. 77% believe that digitalisation will lead to government surveillance, an increase of two percentage points compared to 2022. Concern that digitalisation will increase the spread of disinformation remains high, although it has decreased slightly since 2022 (from 89% to 84%).

Increased concern about cybercrime
The number of Swedes who say they have been victims of cybercrime has remained unchanged since 2022: 25% men and 18% women. Despite this, 47% feel more worried about cyber-attacks since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine – an increase of ten percentage points since 2022 – and fewer people want to share information online. In addition, confidence in the ability of both businesses and authorities to protect themselves against cybercrime has declined since 2022, falling five percentage points for businesses (from 24% to 19%) and seven percentage points for authorities (from 28% to 21%). Overall, this suggests an increased awareness of the vulnerabilities and consequences of cybercrime.

“The report shows an alarming lack of confidence in our ability to protect ourselves against cybercrime. The fact that only 2 out of 10 Swedes feel safe is therefore a strong wake-up call for both authorities and companies”, says Jesper Svegby, CEO, Nexer Cybersecurity.

Strong willingness to contribute to total defence
A majority of Swedes are willing to lend private digital equipment such as drones and surveillance systems to the military in the event of war or crisis. Despite a decrease from 86% in 2022 to 81% in 2024, this points to a widespread solidarity to contribute to the nation’s security and a high awareness of the role of digitalisation in total defence.

TOMORROW REPORT:
Tomorrow Report – Cyber security is based on two surveys conducted by Kantar Sweden AB and includes responses from 2,517 Swedes in 2022 and 2,000 Swedes in 2024, all between the ages of 18-79. The data is weighted by gender, age and region to give a nationally representative result.

ABOUT NEXER GROUP:
Nexer Group is an international tech company with roots in Swedish entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. Nexer has 2,500 experts in 15 countries and is part of the Danir Group, a Swedish privately owned company with 12,000 employees in 18 countries. Nexer works with some of the world’s largest and most demanding companies, providing expertise in digital transformation, IT, tech and R&D.

Download Tomorrow Report – Cyber Security
Please note that the report is in Swedish only. An English version will be available soon.

For more information, please contact:
Jesper Svegby, CEO, Nexer Cybersecurity
jesper.svegby@nexergroup.com

Beatrice Silow, Head of Communications and Culture, Nexer Group
beatrice.silow@nexergroup.com