3.8 million comments analysed. The results show who faces the most aggression
The number of aggressive comments under posts by Norwegian politicians has increased by nearly 50 per cent in recent years. Among the three largest parties, the most attacks were recorded under posts by representatives of the Labour Party (Ap). A new report also shows which topics trigger the fiercest discussions on social media.
Jonas Gahr Støre's party has to contend with the most hate.
Fot. Flickr.com/Bernt Sønvisen/Arbeiderpartiet (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/)
The study was commissioned by the Norwegian think tank Agenda (Tankesmien Agenda). For the purposes of the study, analytics company Analyse & Tall analysed 3.8 million comments posted under 36,224 posts by 76 members of the Norwegian parliament (Storting). All of them had served in parliament during the past two terms. The results were published on 13 October 2026, pointing to a clear increase in online attacks.
Attacks are becoming increasingly frequent. New data shows the scale of the problem
Between 2020 and 2022, researchers recorded 27,955 comments containing attacks on politicians. In the period from 2024 to 2026, this figure rose to 41,525, an increase of nearly 50 per cent. Their share in discussions also increased. The proportion of attacks among all comments rose from 1.5 per cent to 2.4 per cent, or by around 60 per cent.
Agenda points to the possible consequences of this phenomenon. Thea Joramo Lysne, who is responsible for communications at the think tank, warns that growing aggression may prompt politicians to withdraw from public life and discourage others from standing for election. The problem also affects local government. Norway needs more than 10,000 people to hold elected positions on municipal councils, regional authorities and the Storting.
Agenda points to the possible consequences of this phenomenon. Thea Joramo Lysne, who is responsible for communications at the think tank, warns that growing aggression may prompt politicians to withdraw from public life and discourage others from standing for election. The problem also affects local government. Norway needs more than 10,000 people to hold elected positions on municipal councils, regional authorities and the Storting.
The most hate appears under posts about integration and migration.Photo: fotolia
Ap politicians under the greatest pressure. One topic particularly intensifies discussions
Among Norway's three largest parties, the highest share of attacks was recorded under posts by Ap politicians. Aggressive comments accounted for 2.66 per cent of all text-based reactions, and 53 per cent of these attacks were classified as online hate. For the Conservative Party (Høyre), the figure was 37 per cent. Meanwhile, 24 per cent of attacks targeting Progress Party (Frp) politicians were deemed to be hate.
The fiercest discussions concern immigration and integration. Posts devoted to these issues appeared among entries with the highest share of attacks almost three times more often than in the entire analysed group of politicians' posts. This was the greatest thematic overrepresentation in the study. This means that migration- and integration-related issues appeared particularly often in discussions characterised by a high level of aggression.
The fiercest discussions concern immigration and integration. Posts devoted to these issues appeared among entries with the highest share of attacks almost three times more often than in the entire analysed group of politicians' posts. This was the greatest thematic overrepresentation in the study. This means that migration- and integration-related issues appeared particularly often in discussions characterised by a high level of aggression.
The authors of the statement also point to the possible role of social media platform algorithms and fake accounts in intensifying online attacks. Lysne stresses that more detailed knowledge of the mechanisms behind this phenomenon is needed before specific measures to curb hate can be introduced. The full report has been made available on Agenda's website.
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