ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle differences among young individuals in Sweden as background for understanding regional differences in offending and victimization among youth. It details factors associated with youth crime and victimization in rural areas; apparently they are similar to those in urban areas. Children’s and young people’s health and socioeconomic conditions in Sweden are good, even compared to other welfare countries. Sweden tends to have higher youth unemployment than the average for European countries among younger adolescents. In Sweden, leisure for young people is closely associated with various sports activities as well as the use of computers and the Internet. Homeless rates in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmo are slightly higher but do not differ much from the rates of other Nordic capitals. Compared with youth in other European countries, fewer Swedish adolescents consume alcohol, but those who drink do it in greater quantity.
