How Sweden’s win sparked a conspiracy theory
In the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, countries from all over Europe (including Australia) competed to be crowned Eurovision winners and to take the honour of hosting the next contest in 2024. Sweden won the contest and Finland took second place, but among some fans Sweden’s win has been slightly tarnished by a conspiracy theory that the contest was rigged.
As is often the case with conspiracy theories, people started to connect the dots between events that happened on the night of the grand final. First, Sweden received a high proportion of their points from the national juries. Finland received fewer votes from the national juries but won the vote from the general public. Naturally, many people were disappointed that the public favourite didn’t win. However, some argued that the juries voted deliberately to ensure that Sweden won. Why? Because 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of ABBA winning the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo”, a Swedish win guarantees that the 2024 event would take place in the home of ABBA. Surely this is no coincidence? Second, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus appeared in a video message during the grand final in which he reflected on the band’s Eurovision experience and subsequent success. Why was he there? Arousing further suspicion, Sweden’s winner Loreen was seen in the green room wearing her microphone before the results were known. Was she getting ready for her victory performance?
Of course, these things were unlikely to be part of a conspiracy. Sweden’s entry had been the bookies’ favourite to win the contest for weeks. Also, as a former winner (among many other former contestants and winners who appeared in the grand final), it wasn’t surprising for Björn Ulvaeus to make an appearance. Further, Loreen’s microphone was likely to be stitched into her costume and difficult to remove.
There are several reasons why people might have preferred a conspiracy explanation, however. Research suggests that conspiracy theories are more likely to be adopted by “losers” who are looking for explanations for a disappointing outcome. In a similar vein, research suggests that people sometimes adopt conspiracy theories as an identity-management strategy in the face of a discouraging loss. Further, people who are strongly attached to their national group are more likely to perceive conspiracy theories against them. Also, conspiracy theories about vote-rigging are not new, especially when outcomes are determined by voting procedures that people do not fully understand.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be remembered for the gracious hosting of the United Kingdom on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine, and a victory for Sweden. “The winner takes it all” and we will look forward to the next contest in 2024.