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

In the Reputation&Trust study, the reputation of a total of 65 healthcare organizations in Finland, Sweden, and Norway was inspected. Additionally, the general reputation of organizations operating in the private and public sectors was observed 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, the overall reputation of private healthcare providers is higher than that of public ones. In Norway, both achieve a moderate level of reputation: the private sector's reputation score is 3.38 and the public sector's 3.09. In Finland, the private sector's reputation score of 3.23 is also at a moderate level, while the public sector's general reputation is at a weak level, 2.70 on a scale of 1–5.

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

Citizens are most critical of healthcare sector organiztions in Sweden, where the public sector's general reputation is slightly higher than the private sector's, but still remains at a weak level. The public sector's reputation score in Sweden is 2.94, and the private sector's 2.86.

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

Public social and health service organisations in general

Private social and health service organisations in general

HIMAGES: Nordic Social and Healthcare Organizations Reputation&Trust 2025 study. The study examined the general reputation of organizations operating in the private and public sectors among Finns, Swedes, and Norwegians.

• Public social and health service organizations in general
• Private social and health service organizations in general

Public Sector Receives Poor Scores for Finance and Leadership – Private Side Criticized for Openness and Transparency

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

"It appears that citizens in all three countries believe that 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 receives strong criticism from citizens in all studied countries," Ruokolahti states.

"In the private sector, citizens are critical of organizations' openness, transparency, and moral-ethical license to operate, 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 studied organizations, the strongest reputation in Finland belongs to MIELI association, a mental health organization, in Sweden to Mindler, which offers psychology services online, 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 citizens. Data collection was carried out using an electronic questionnaire from March 14 to May 8, 2025.

Organizations were evaluated using Reputation and Trust Analytics' Reputation&Trust research model, where the industry's reputation score is formed as an average of eight different dimensions. The dimensions are organizational governance, financial performance, leadership, innovation, dialogue, products & services, workplace, and responsibility. The study used a five-point evaluation 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 15-65-year-old Norwegians, Swedes, and Finns nationwide (excluding Åland). The sample is weighted to represent each country's population by gender, age, and residential area.