Threats, violence, and harassment against artists common in the Nordics

The report Threats, violence, and harassment against artists and authors in the Nordics published by Kulturanalys Norden, is the first to examine the experiences of artists and authors in multiple Nordic countries regarding threats, violence, and harassment, along with their scope and consequences.

“The results show that many of those who have been targeted feel their artistic freedom has been curtailed. However, many also report that their commitment and willingness to express themselves artistically have been strengthened,” says Sofia Arkhede, researcher at Kulturanalys Norden, which has published the report.

The study that forms the basis for the report was conducted in collaboration with organisations representing artists and authors. It consists of eight surveys with responses from a total of 3,184 artists and authors in Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

The experiences among respondents varied across the organisations. Of the artists and authors who participated in the surveys, between 36% and 61% reported having encountered threats, violence, or harassment at some point in their careers, while between 10% and 25% have experienced such incidents in the past 12 months. The figures were highest among the Danish performing artists surveyed, with 61% reporting threats or harassment at some point, and 25% in the past year.

“Our mapping shows that threats, violence, and harassment against artists and authors are issues that exist in the Nordic countries. The negative consequences highlighted in the report are particularly serious – not only for the targeted artists but for society as a whole if artists and authors avoid certain topics or withdraw due to vulnerability or fear,” says Malin Weijmer, head of Kulturanalys Norden.

The study in the report Threats, violence, and harassment against artists and authors in the Nordic Region, has been conducted in collaboration with eight organisations representing artists and authors. The organisations that distributed surveys to their members were: Billedkunstnernes Forbund (Denmark, visual artists), Dansk Artist Forbund (Denmark, performing artists), Konstnärernas Riksorganisation (Sweden, visual artists), Sveriges Författarförbund (Sweden, authors), Creo (Norway, performing artists), Den norske Forfatterforening (Norway, authors), Rithöfundasamband Íslands (Iceland, authors), and Samband Íslenskra Myndlistarmanna (Iceland, visual artists).

Kulturanalys Norden is a Nordic knowledge centre for culture policy set up on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Kulturanalys Norden is part of the Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis.

Media contact
Malin Weijmer, researcher, analyst, and operations co-ordinator at Kulturanalys Norden, malin.weijmer@kulturanalys.se, +46 31-395 20 13
Sofia Arkhede, researcher, statistician, sofia.arkhede@kulturanalys.se, +46 31-395 20 14