‘Keeps your mind alert’: older Swedes reap the benefits of learning for pleasure | Sweden
A record number of Swedish retirees are enrolling in a university run “by retirees for retirees,” amid rising loneliness and a growing appetite for learning and face-to-face interaction.
Senioruniversitet, a national university that collaborates with Sweden’s adult education institution Folkuniversitetet, has approximately 30 independent branches across the country running study groups, lecture series and university courses on subjects such as languages, politics, medicine and architecture.
The Stockholm branch, the largest in Sweden, has become so popular since its founding in 1991 that it is now run by around 100 volunteers in various parts of the capital. Its most popular event, Tuesday classes, is attended by approximately 1,000 people each week.
Recent lectures given in Stockholm included “The art of awarding Nobel prizes” by a former member of the Nobel committee, “Disinformation and artificial intelligence – the threat we invented ourselves” and “From soap to cultural heritage/canon and vice versa”.
Inga Sanner, president of Senioruniversitetet in Stockholm, said membership at the national level was at an all-time high. “Of course, we experienced a decrease during the pandemic, but we reached the same number again and increased even more. Our membership is the highest ever.”
According to Folkuniversitetet, 2,099 events were held across Sweden in 2023, with 161,932 participants participating. This year, that number is expected to increase to 177,024 participants in 2,391 events.
Folkuniversitetet general secretary Gunnar Danielsson said: “The desire to learn for pleasure or for the sake of learning is a joy to be experienced in a society that is increasingly obsessed with learning and education as preparation for work.”
He said Senioruniversitetet’s growing popularity was not reflected in the level of government funding, which had “reduced significantly” over the past few years. “It likely reflects a desire to meet other people in real life rather than online.”
Sanner, a retired history professor, said older people were becoming “increasingly alert” and there was an “incredible hunger for education.” He added: “It’s really fascinating that there are so many people who want to know more and learn more about the world. It’s so needed in our time.”
He said the wider societal role played by Senioruniversitetet was becoming increasingly important and that the learning and wellbeing of its members had a knock-on effect on their families and beyond.
“This has to do with issues of democracy and education. Old people do not live in a vacuum. If nothing else, it affects children and grandchildren,” he said. “You are an example. You’re not just rocking in a rocking chair, you’re outside and you want to learn more. Then you can share that with your grandchildren and your children.”
She added: “The classes are great. You are completely satisfied when you attend an event and then it is fulfilled when you meet others.”
For most volunteers, their office in central Stockholm is like a workplace. “It’s a very meaningful job, but you also have a great time and meet others.”
But the demographics of members tend to be “very homogeneous,” Sanner said, adding that they need to do more to expand their reach to a more diverse audience.
Susanne Abelin, 66, a former journalist from Norrtälje near Stockholm, volunteers on the university’s newsletter and is learning Italian.
He said ageism is common in Sweden and is felt in daily life. “You’re more or less considered a fool. Maybe because we’ve been so financially well off for generations, we don’t really need each other, for better or for worse.”
But Senioruniversitetet, where people over 55 can study for a relatively low fee, is “still a remaining part of the Swedish welfare system”.
Her Italian class has a WhatsApp group so they can stay in touch outside of class, and last year she went to Italy with one of her classmates. “I’m definitely not fluent in Italian and never will be, but it’s inspiring and keeps your mind alert. Instead of doing crosswords and suduko, you can practice some verbs.”
Joachim Forsgren, 71, a former doctor who now volunteers at the Stockholm branch, gave lectures on “man and drugs” and tuberculosis.
He said volunteering gives people “a sense of meaning and they’re still contributing.” He added: “People can feel like they haven’t contributed after leaving work. Retired is a word I hate.”
“We’re contributing to a kind of democracy project. It’s really trying to get people interested in what’s going on, especially today,” he said of the volunteer. Amid the rise of online disinformation and populism, the university is helping people “look critically at the amount of information we are inundated with almost every day.”
