A majority of Sweden’s local politicians want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling in home care
A majority of Sweden’s local politicians want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling in home care
According to a new survey, conducted by Demoskop on behalf of the care company Attendo, a clear majority of all of Sweden’s local politicians, 77 percent, say they want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling in home care. The survey also shows that there is a broad consensus and a cross party-majority, with a majority of representatives from all parties wanting to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling in home care.
A minute schedule (also known as minute-by-minute scheduling) in home care means that the municipality decides in advance how long different tasks and services are allowed to take, often broken down by the minute. Over the past year, minute-by-minute scheduling has been criticized by authorities, trade unions, and national politicians for creating an unsustainable situation for both staff and the elderly.
The survey in brief:
- In the ten most populous municipalities, a clear majority of politicians want to see minute-by-minute scheduling in home care abolished.
- Support is equally clear when breaking down the results by political party. From the Green Party (91%) to the Moderate Party (60%), a clear majority wants to see the minute schedule abolished.
- In all of Sweden’s 21 counties, a clear majority of politicians want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling in home care.
The survey was conducted by Demoskop as part of the Politicians’ Panel 2026, an annual survey conducted among local politicians throughout Sweden. 4,556 local politicians responded out of a total sample of 11,712 politicians from the municipalities, corresponding to a response rate of 39 percent.
“The results of the survey are clear: Swedish local politicians want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling, and we agree. If society is to deliver high-quality care to a growing number of people in the future, we need to use our shared resources in a better way. One important step is to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling in home care,” says Malin Fredgardh Huber, Managing Director, Attendo Scandinavia
“We have provided home care every day for over 40 years, and we have practical experience of what works and what doesn’t – minute-by-minute scheduling doesn’t work. It has created an unsustainable situation in which people – both our elderly and our staff – mostly seem to be in the way of the model,” says Malin Fredgardh Huber.
In all of the ten most populated municipalities, a clear majority of politicians want to see minute-by-minute scheduling in home care abolished.
| City | Share who want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling |
| Jönköping | 90% |
| Helsingborg | 89% |
| Stockholm | 87% |
| Västerås | 87% |
| Göteborg | 79% |
| Uppsala | 77% |
| Linköping | 74% |
| Norrköping | 72% |
| Örebro | 65% |
| Malmö | 64% |
Support is equally clear when breaking down the results by parliamentary party. From the Green Party (91%) to the Moderate Party (60%), a clear majority in every party wants to see the minute schedule abolished.
| Party | Share who want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling |
| Green Party | 91% |
| Left Party | 90% |
| Social Democrats | 87% |
| Sweden Democrats | 77% |
| Liberals | 74% |
| Christian Democrats | 73% |
| Centre Party | 73% |
| Moderate Party | 60% |
In all 21 of Sweden’s counties, a clear majority of politicians want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling in home care.
| County | Share who want to abolish minute-by-minute scheduling |
| Västmanland County | 85% |
| Gävleborg County | 82% |
| Jönköping County | 82% |
| Södermanland County | 82% |
| Norrbotten County | 81% |
| Uppsala County | 80% |
| Västerbotten County | 80% |
| Gotland County | 79% |
| Jämtland County | 79% |
| Dalarna County | 78% |
| Örebro County | 78% |
| Värmland County | 77% |
| Stockholm County | 77% |
| Halland County | 76% |
| Kronoberg County | 75% |
| Västra Götaland County | 75% |
| Kalmar County | 75% |
| Västernorrland County | 74% |
| Skåne County | 74% |
| Blekinge County | 73% |
| Östergötland County | 70% |
About the survey
The survey was conducted by Demoskop on behalf of Attendo as part of the Politicians’ Panel 2026 – an annual survey conducted among local politicians throughout Sweden since 2014. The sample comprises 11,712 municipal council politicians across Sweden, and the number of respondents was 4,556 local politicians, giving a response rate of 39 percent. Responses were collected between March 31 – May 3, 2026. The question asked was: "Should municipalities that have a minute schedule in home care abolish it?"
For further information about the survey and access to the underlying data, please contact Hakim Belarbi, Head of Public Affairs or Linda Bengtsson, Head of press and External Communications.