Nordic Reputation & Trust Study: Citizens in Finland, Sweden, and Norway Are Critical of Healthcare Organizations

 

Reputation and Trust Analytics’ Reputation&Trust study on social and healthcare providers, conducted across three Nordic countries, reveals that Swedes are particularly critical of organizations that provide healthcare services. Among the countries studied, only in Norway do both private and public healthcare organizations achieve a moderate level of reputation.

The Reputation & Trust study examined the reputation of a total of 65 healthcare organizations in Finland, Sweden, and Norway. In addition, the overall reputation of organizations operating in the private and public sectors was assessed separately.

The study was conducted in these three countries from March to May 2025, with a total of 6,648 Finnish, 3,827 Swedish, and 2,477 Norwegian respondents.

In Finland and Norway, private healthcare providers have a better overall reputation than public ones. In Norway, both sectors have a moderate reputation: the private sector’s reputation score is 3.38 and the public sector’s is 3.09. In Finland, the private sector’s reputation score of 3.23 is also moderate, while the public sector’s overall reputation is weak, at 2.70 on a scale of 1–5.

“Based on the results, it is clear that in Finland, the public sector is facing a particularly difficult situation,” says Riku Ruokolahti, Development Director at Reputation and Trust Analytics.

Citizens are most critical of healthcare organizations in Sweden, where the public sector’s overall reputation is slightly higher than that of the private sector, but still remains low. The public sector’s reputation score in Sweden is 2.94, and the private sector’s is 2.86.

“Private social and health services have a better reputation in Norway and Finland, while Swedes favor the public sector. Swedes generally view social service and healthcare providers more critically than residents of neighboring countries. Leaders in all three countries should prioritize improving governance, workplace conditions, and leadership to enhance their reputation,” says Peter Markström, Senior Advisor at Reputation and Trust Analytics.

 

 

Public Sector Scores Poorly in Finance and Leadership – Private Sector Criticized for Lack of Openness and Transparency

The public sector receives the lowest scores in leadership and finance across all the Nordic countries studied.

“It appears that citizens in all three countries believe the public sector has a weak financial foundation for its services and that the private sector is in a stronger position in this regard. Additionally, public sector leadership faces strong criticism from citizens in all the countries studied,” Ruokolahti states.

“In the private sector, citizens are critical of organizations’ openness, transparency, and moral and ethical standing, which is reflected in the governance dimension’s reputation score. Even in Norway, governance is the weakest area of private sector reputation, although its score reaches a moderate level.”
Among the organizations studied, the strongest reputation in Finland belongs to MIELI, a mental health organization; in Sweden, to Mindler, which offers online psychology services; and in Norway, to the country’s public health institute, Folkehelseinstituttet.
“The novelty of online services contributes to their higher reputation,” says Peter Markström regarding Mindler’s ranking in Sweden.

How We Conducted the Study

The objective of the Nordic Social and Healthcare Organizations’ Reputation & Trust 2025 research round was to examine the reputation of selected healthcare organizations among the public. Data collection was conducted using an online questionnaire from March 14 to May 8, 2025.

Organizations were evaluated using Reputation and Trust Analytics’ Reputation&Trust research model, in which the industry’s reputation score is calculated as the average of eight different dimensions. These dimensions are organizational governance, financial performance, leadership, innovation, dialogue, products & services, workplace, and responsibility. The study used a five-point rating scale (1–5).

A total of 6,648 Finnish, 3,827 Swedish, and 2,477 Norwegian respondents participated in the study, each evaluating social and healthcare organizations operating in their own country. The target group consisted of Norwegians, Swedes, and Finns aged 15–65 from across the country (excluding Åland). The sample is weighted to represent each country’s population by gender, age, and residential area.

Additional Information:

Riku Ruokolahti, Development Director, Reputation and Trust Analytics Oy
+358 400 512 200, riku.ruokolahti@reputationandtrust.com
Peter Markström, Senior Advisor, Reputation and Trust Analytics Sweden AB
peter.markstrom@reputationandtrust.com