Record numbers of Swedish retirees are enrolling in a national university run 'by pensioners for pensioners', amid rising loneliness and a growing appetite for learning and in-person interaction. The organisation, Senioruniversitetet, collaborates with adult education institution Folkuniversitetet and operates around 30 independent branches across Sweden, offering study circles, lecture series and university courses in subjects such as languages, politics, medicine and architecture.
The Stockholm branch, Sweden's largest, has grown so popular since its founding in 1991 that it now runs across multiple venues with about 100 volunteers. Its weekly Tuesday lectures attract around 1,000 attendees. Recent topics have included Nobel prize awarding, disinformation and AI, and cultural heritage. Inga Sanner, chair of Senioruniversitetet in Stockholm, said national membership is at an all-time high, recovering strongly after a pandemic dip.
In 2023, there were 2,099 events attended by 161,932 participants, with projections of 177,024 participants across 2,391 events in 2024. Gunnar Danielsson, secretary general of Folkuniversitetet, noted a 'fantastic hunger for education' among older people, but said government funding has 'significantly decreased' in recent years. He attributed the surge in popularity to a desire for real-life social interaction rather than online engagement.
Susanne Abelin, 66, a former journalist volunteering on the university's newsletter and learning Italian, said ageism is rife in Sweden but Senioruniversitetet offers a rare sense of purpose. 'It keeps your mind alert,' she said, adding that studying a language beats crosswords or sudoku. Joachim Forsgren, 71, a retired physician who volunteers and lectures on drugs and tuberculosis, said the volunteer work gives people 'a sense of meaning'.
Sanner acknowledged that the membership demographic remains 'too homogenous' and expressed a need to reach a more diverse audience. She emphasised the broader societal role of the university, noting that learning and wellbeing among seniors positively affects their families and contributes to democratic engagement.
