Press Release 2008-11-28
Luther lives on in the Nordic countries - status comes from hard work, knowledge and relationships
In Sweden, you should win the TV quiz "På Spåret", in Finland you need to be very good at your job and in India, status requires you to have a toned and fit body. These are the findings of Status Navigator 2008, the annual United Minds survey on status.
In India, expensive jewellery, beautiful children and expensive new cars confer status. In Finland, spas, interior design and cosmetic surgery are eschewed in favour of being good with your hands, which is high on the status list.
For the third year in a row, being well educated in general ranks top amongst Swedes. Being very knowledgeable, clever and a balanced person are status-elevating qualities in Sweden.
A presentation of this year's survey will be given at United Minds, Slussplan 9 in Stockholm's Gamla Stan on Friday 28 November 2008 at 12.00 and 13.00. Everybody is welcome to attend. Please RSVP to: gabriella.fernberger@primepr.se.
Top 10 in Sweden
- Being good at general knowledge
- Being good at your job
- Having significant wealth which you have earned yourself
- Being a good parent to your children
- Being able to speak several languages fluently
- Spending time and money to help needy people
- Being able to choose your own working hours
- Having a firm philosophy on life
- Having the opportunity to have an extended period of time off
- Being fun and entertaining
Top 10 Finland
- Being good at your job
- Having significant wealth which you have earned yourself
- Being good at general knowledge
- Being a good parent to your children
- Being able to speak several languages fluently
- Having a firm philosophy on life
- Being good at repairing things around the house
- Having a long, stable marriage
- Spending time and money to help needy people
- Having a style that's all your own
Top 10 India
- Being toned and physically fit
- Having children who do well in school
- Being a good parent to your children
- Owning an expensive new car
- Being famous
- Having significant wealth which you have earned yourself
- Having a husband who is successful in his career
- Having good-looking children
- Having a long, stable marriage
- Being able to speak several languages fluently
SURVEY ANALYSIS
Good education most important in Sweden
Being well educated confers the greatest status in Sweden. This has been confirmed for the third consecutive year by Swedes in the annual Status Navigator survey by business intelligence consultants United Minds. The survey was made up of 3,000 respondents in Sweden, Finland and India who were asked what qualities, actions and possessions gave people status
Top 10 Sweden
- Being good at general knowledge
- Being good at your job
- Having significant wealth which you have earned yourself
- Being a good parent to your children
- Being able to speak several languages fluently
- Spending time and money to help needy people
- Being able to choose your own working hours
- Having a firm philosophy on life
- Having the opportunity to have an extended period of time off
- Being fun and entertaining
Bottom 10 Sweden
100. Having a husband who is at least 15 years younger than you
99. Improving your appearance with cosmetic surgery or medical treatment
98. Owning a genuine fur coat
97. Having a wife who is at least 15 years younger than you
96. Going to church every Sunday
95. Attending therapy sessions
94. Being written about in celebrity magazines or columns
93. Being a friend of the Wallenberg family (the most influential finance family in Sweden)
92. Being a friend of a fellow of the Swedish Academy
91. Being single, with an active love life
A new possible answer in Status Navigator jumped straight into the top 10 list in Sweden, namely having a firm philosophy of life. In other words, being secure about the big issues is important for high status, although this does not have to be in a religious context. In fact, being a regular churchgoer comes almost at the bottom of the list.
In Sweden, being a good parent comes high on the ranking list. Parenting skills is also seen to be something that is important not to fail at.
“You cannot compensate for poor parenting through other qualities or material objects,” says Marie Söderqvist Tralau, a business intelligence analyst at United Minds who adds:
“It is difficult to compensate for being a bad parent through other status attributes. This is not an area you want to go wrong in if you want to achieve maximum status. No matter how rich, knowledgeable and good at your job you are, you are seen as a bit pitiful if you fail as a parent.
Indians the most materialistic – and the poorest
Status Navigator has been performed in two new countries this year: Finland and India. There was a marked difference in the answers given by Indians compared to Swedes and Finns. Here material possessions and appearance were top of the status scale in contrast to the non-materialistic qualities that dominate in Sweden, Finland and the USA. At number one on the list in India is “being toned and physically fit”, while possessions such as “owning a new and exclusive car” or people who have beautiful children or a husband with a successful career also come high on the status list in India.
Top 10 India
- Being toned and physically fit
- Having children who do well in school
- Being a good parent to your children
- Owning an expensive new car
- Being famous
- Having significant wealth which you have earned yourself
- Having a husband who is successful in his career
- Having good-looking children
- Having a long, stable marriage
- Being able to speak several languages fluently
“There is a clear link between the economic welfare of a country and how status is perceived. If you compare this year's survey with those we have done earlier you can see that poorer countries have more materialistic values while rich countries have what you could call post materialistic values in which personal qualities and virtues are accorded greater weight, says Marie Söderqvist Tralau.
Parenting is also important for Indians in achieving status but other aspects of being a parent are emphasised. Having children that are beautiful and do well at school are both in the Indian top 10, unlike Sweden and Finland.
Bottom 10 India
100. Having a husband who is at least 15 years younger than you
99. Having a wife who is at least 15 years younger than you
98. Paying a lot of tax
97. Having a high military rank
96. Being knowledgeable about wine
95. Having your own wine cellar
94. Owning a horse
93. Being a friend of a fellow of the Sahitya Academy Fellowship (a fellowship of the 20 most esteemed authors in India)
92. Being elected to political office
91. Being a good sailor
The answers given by men and women in India differ more than in Sweden and Finland. For instance Indian men say owning a new and expensive car is important, while Indian women put expensive jewellery top.
Spas and interior design not for Finnish men
Finland and Sweden have a common history dating back centuries and this can be clearly seen in Status Navigator. The two neighbours have extremely similar values when it comes to status. In fact both countries have the same top five qualities, albeit in a slightly different order. For Finns, being good at your job is top of the list while the top quality for Swedes, being well educated, is third in the list in Finland.
Top 10 Finland
- Being good at your job
- Having significant wealth which you have earned yourself
- Being good at general knowledge
- Being a good parent to your children
- Being able to speak several languages fluently
- Having a firm philosophy on life
- Being good at repairing things around the house
- Having a long, stable marriage
- Spending time and money to help needy people
- Having a style that's all your own
Bottom 10 Finland
100. Improving your appearance with cosmetic surgery or other treatments
99. Having a husband who is at least 15 years younger than you
98. Attending therapy sessions
97. Having a wife who is at least 15 years younger than you
96. Being written about in celebrity magazines or columns
95. Owning a genuine fur coat
94. Spending time with your boss outside work
93. Being a good horseback rider
92. Going to church every Sunday
91. Being single, with an active love life
If Sweden has pre-conceived notions about Finnish men, you could say that these are very largely confirmed. Finnish men rank all forms of body treatments such as spa massages or medical procedures for cosmetic purposes at the bottom of the status list. Even seeking the help of an interior designer for your own home is not something Finnish men confer any status on. On the other hand being able to fix things yourself does give you status. Being good at DIY ranks seventh when you combine the answers given by men and women. And if you only count the male answers, it comes even higher, in fourth place.
About the survey
Status Navigator was performed in Sweden, Finland and India by United Minds via an electronic email questionnaire between 28 October and 7 November 2008. The respondents were asked to give their opinion on 100 statements which they ranked on a scale of 1 to 5. The respondents were also asked to say what they thought about a number of statements on values.
The respondents were selected as a representative sample of the population of each country in terms of sex, age and geographic location.
Number of respondents per country:
Sweden 1,002
Finland 1,000
India 1,006
As the survey was done via email, the representative sample only reflects that part of each country's population that have internet access. In Sweden, about eight people in ten have access to the internet, in Finland, around seven in ten. In India, internet penetration is just over 5 percent.
The Swedish results can be broken down into different status types:
Maximalists 42%
Want it all. Want security but also excitement. Want to help other people but also want their own success to be appreciated by others. Think the environment is important but at the same time want to spoil themselves. This group includes both men and women. This category is slightly more widespread in the big cities.
Exhibitionistic materialists 37%
Want, above all, to be rich, to earn plenty of money and have things. Their individual success should be appreciated by others. That they are seen to be successful is important for them. Material possessions are more important than for other groups. Parenting and other soft values are less important.
There are more men than women in this group and they are more likely to live in Småland and the Mälaren area.
Security seeking altruists 21% The most important thing in life and what makes this type feel good is helping others. Environmental considerations are very important for them. On a personal level, security ranks highest, seeking excitement is something for other people.
Less well-educated younger women in central Sweden are overrepresented amongst the altruists.
For more information on Status Navigator 2008, please contact:
Marie Söderqvist Tralau, +46 707 24 09 71, marie.soderqvist@unitedminds.se
Fredrik Johansson, +46 733 24 59 82, fredrik.johansson@unitedminds.se