As mentioned above, a prerequisite for this solution is that the population has a certain degree of trust in authorities. All of the information on the web portal is from Swedish authorities. Without trust in authorities, the information on the web pages is useless and can contribute to conspiracy theories.
For this solution to work properly in a society, the population needs to be digital literate. The digital infrastructure needs to be in place, and people need access to the internet. For the information to come through, large parts of the population should own a phone, a tablet, or a computer, and know how to use it. This is not a prominent issue in Sweden, but certain groups with lower degree of digital literacy might be affected (such as elderly people).
The Crisis information solution is used during all crises in Sweden when the public needs information from the authorities. It played an important role during COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, 2021 and during the first months of 2022. The solution was used to distribute reliable information from different authorities about the pandemic. Examples of information shared are current recommendations, information about vaccination and what to do when infected. It was after this crisis that the solution became known to a wider Swedish audience. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 25 % of the population had heard of the solutions.
In the autumn of 2022, the solution was evaluated through a survey distributed in the Swedish population. The survey got 2515 respondents of all ages. Results show that 74% of the respondents had heard about the solution, and 56% had received information from the web page. A large part of the survey was about the content of the web portal and the social media accounts. The evaluation shows that large part of the users are pleased with the information provided. It also shows that many respondents access the web portal, but that also other social media channels is a popular domain to access information.
One challenge with this solution is related to trust in authorities. A certain degree of trust in the authorities is necessary for this solution to function properly. The Swedish population has traditionally a high degree of trust in authorities, but it was still a challenge to legitimate the solution among the Swedish population. This issue might have been solved with closer cooperation with other parts of the established authorities and more backing from them in the launching process.
Another similar challenge was related to other authorities. During the process of establishing the web portal, other parts of the Swedish authorities were skeptical and concerned towards the web page. The skepticism seems to be grounded in the originality and novelty of conducting crisis communication through social media. This issue might also have been solved with more extensive support from the authorities, emphasising the positive aspects of this tool, and that it should be used by all authorities.
An issue related to trust in authorities is the spread of disinformation and misinformation. This is always an issue related to crisis situations and is something the editors of the web portal have faced to a certain degree during several situations, both the Refugee Crisis of 2015 and the Covid-19 pandemic of 2021 and 2022. It is important to emphasis that reliable information is a valuable tool to counteract rumors, misinformation and disinformation.
Another challenge is related to situations when ministries or departments don't agree on situations and provide different explanations on their web pages. The Crisis Information web page cannot decide on what is right and wrong, and are obliged to post all statements regarding the particular crisis. They do not have the authority to decide what is right or wrong regarding a crisis. This can contribute to confusion and misunderstandings in the population, in which the population are unsure of the actions they should take.