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This paper studies polarization of attitudes toward immigration in Norway from 2001 to 2019. The paper studies polarization along five dimensions: dispersion, bimodality, consolidation, constraint, and sorting. Empirical analyses were based on two Norwegian longitudinal, cross-sectional surveys. The findings suggested that, first, overall attitudes toward immigration did not become more polarized in terms of dispersion and bimodality. There was, however, a tendency toward increased polarization of attitudes toward Islam and a decreased polarization of attitudes toward refugees. Second, there was an increasing generational gap in attitudes toward immigration, especially with respect to Islam. Third, attitudes toward immigration were more closely linked to attitudes toward other political issues and to party preference. Although these changes should not be overestimated, finding increased tendencies of consolidation, constraint, and sorting in a consensus-based democracy like Norway indicates the wider existence of polarizing trends similar to those in the UK and US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to investigate public opinion on education in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Two questions are investigated: (1) whether there is a “Nordic model” of public opinion, and (2) whether public opinion is characterized by political consensus or conflict. Large-scale surveys from 1981 to 2009 are analyzed. The findings reveal that the nature of public opinion on education differs between Norway and Sweden on one hand and Finland on the other. In Norway and Sweden there is a tendency for supporters of the social democratic parties to have the most positive perceptions of the education system, even though the degree of polarization decreased during conservative participation in government. In Finland, political polarization was almost non-existent. Finally, the findings suggest that some of the dissatisfaction with the education system, as with other public institutions, was explained by support in populist parties. The article contributes to our understanding by filling a gap between research on education and public opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has gained popularity in educational debates, and scholars argue that the tests influence national educational governance. It has further been claimed that PISA has penetrated the news media and that public opinion on education has been affected, but few have offered empirical evidence for such arguments. The present study contributes to the area by investigating the relationship between (i) news consumption and public awareness of PISA, and between (ii) awareness of PISA and public opinion on education in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The findings suggest that consumption of newspapers and public service TV (PBS) news is positively associated with awareness of PISA; consumption of commercial TV news is negatively associated with awareness of PISA. Further, "PISA effects" on public opinion are dependent upon news consumption and political considerations. The most significant relationship is found in Norway, where mass political polarization is stronger among respondents who are aware of PISA, compared to those who are not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]