Blog 6: Scandinavian countries’ perception.

This publication deals with the Scandinavian countries’ perceptions in the world. The area where these countries take place is the in the north of Europe It is composed by Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Greenland and Iceland. We will see what is the perception of this region, the stereotypes and what people think of it.

Many of us have a global good perception of these countries. The first perception and the first words that come to mind to describe these countries are as follows. Beautiful fjords, deep forests, ideal and egalitarian societies living in harmony with nature, people calm, rational, masters of themselves, sometimes reluctant to change, beautiful blonde women and the Vikings. This is how we perceive these countries thanks to images and stereotypes. Very often people who are not from Scandinavia confuse the countries. They place Copenhagen in Sweden and Finland next to Norway. Even if the Scandinavian cities have not the same attractiveness than large American cities, they can offer some ideas of ​​the quality of life, proximity to nature, simplicity and respect for its inhabitants and local customs always surprising. The economy is also a key to the success of these countries. In ten years, the Nordic countries have modified their soft labor market and managed to keep their active seniors and quite happy (Consensus, flexibility, pragmatism). However, the cost of living is quite high in these countries where are so close to the North Pole. Often seen in sociological studies like the happiest nations, Scandinavians have a lifestyle and a culture that allows them to have a good economy level. Indeed, we perceive these countries as rich countries where it’s difficult to find poverty.

To conclude, except the stereotypes that are quite limited as Ikea, snow and beautiful blondes women, Scandinavian countries have a common culture and a successful economy.