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Social Inequality and Food Insecurity in Sweden: Exploring the Effects of Rising Food Prices on Older People
Halmstad University, School of Health and Welfare.
Halmstad University, School of Health and Welfare.
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (One Year)), 10 credits / 15 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

This thesis explores the intersection of rising food prices, social inequality, and the lived experiences of older adults in Sweden living on fixed pensions. Despite Sweden’s reputation as a strong welfare state, many elderly individuals are experiencing food insecurity due to the gap between rising living costs and static pension income. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines ten semi-structured interviews with secondary data from national institutions such as PRO, SCB, and the Swedish Pensions Agency. Thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke’s (2017) model, identified five major themes: noticeable food price increases, strategic coping behaviors, emotional and lifestyle impacts, systemic shortcomings, and stigma associated with seeking help. Findings show that older adults particularly women face disproportionate challenges linked to gendered income disparities and limited institutional support. The study emphasizes that while Sweden’s welfare protections are broad, accessibility and adaptability to inflation and cultural barriers remain weak spots. The thesis contributes to debates in public health and social policy by showing how economic stress interacts with welfare gaps in high-income contexts and recommends structural reforms to better protect aging populations.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. , p. 64
Keywords [en]
Aging population, Food insecurity, Fixed pensions, Social inequality, Sweden, Welfare state
National Category
Social Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-56335OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hh-56335DiVA, id: diva2:1967611
Educational program
Master's Programme in Nordic Welfare, 60 credits
Presentation
2025-06-02, Halmstad University, Halmstad, 20:23 (English)
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2025-06-12 Created: 2025-06-11 Last updated: 2025-10-01Bibliographically approved

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf