After Becoming the Epitome of a Rich, Happy, and Egalitarian Country, Norway Faces a Problem: ‘Scan Guilt’

Norway is doing well. Very well, indeed. Its business card is a veritable compendium of what many other nations aspire to be. It’s one of the countries with the highest levels of happiness but also has an egalitarian economy, a privileged place in the rankings of nations by GDP per capita and social welfare spending, and a comfortable budget surplus. And yet, despite all this, or perhaps because of it, a feeling has arisen in Norway that has little to do with contentment: A sense of guilt reflected in its films and TV series, which has attracted the interest of experts.

They already have a name for it: “Scan guilt.”

Norway, “the happy one.” Norwegians are happier than the inhabitants of most countries, according to the World Happiness Report, published periodically by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). As its name indicates, the report measures happiness, which is arguably something abstract that varies from person to person.

Based on aspects such as social support, income levels, health, freedom, generosity, and levels of corruption in 150 nations worldwide, SDSN experts create a “Top 10” of countries with the highest happiness levels. Norway ranks seventh, sandwiched between the Netherlands and Luxembourg. For reference, the U.S. ranks 23.

The country with the good numbers. Norway not only stands out in SDSN’s ranking of the happiest countries, but it does so in terms of GDP per capita, economic and gender equality, work-life balance, energy transition, and less corruption, to name a few areas. As if that weren't enough, the Nordic country, besides enjoying valuable natural resources, ended last year with a budget surplus.

A happy society, a guilty society? None of the above indicators are shocking. We’ve long known that Norway is a well-positioned country with an enviable welfare state. What is less well known is that, against this backdrop, a sense of guilt is emerging in the country that has already attracted the attention of some academics. They’ve even given it a name: “Scan guilt.”

A shared feeling. Elisabeth Oxfeldt, a professor of Scandinavian literature at the University of Oslo, recently spoke to BBC reporters about this strange phenomenon. In an interview with the British media outlet, Oxfeldt confessed, “Not every Norwegian feels guilty, but many do.” And as proof, she pointed to how this feeling surfaces in culture.

“By looking at contemporary literature, films, and TV series, I found that the contrast between the happy, fortunate or privileged self and the suffering ‘other’ brought about feelings of guilt, unease, discomfort or shame,” she stated. “We’ve seen the emergence of a narrative of guilt about people’s privileged lives in a world where others are suffering,” Oxfeldt added.

What does the screen tell us? In his article for the BBC, veteran Norwegian reporter Jorn Madslien explains that recent Norwegian dramas tell stories of characters from the “leisure class” benefiting from immigrants living in conditions far worse than their own or Norwegian women achieving improved labor equality thanks to the help of nannies from developing countries.

The academic spotlight. The phenomenon is so entrenched in Scandinavian society that the University of Oslo an interdisciplinary project led by Oxfelt on its website that addresses “Scandinavian narratives of guilt and privilege in an age of globalization.”

“Through media and migration, we are confronted daily with an awareness of suffering Others—child laborers, victims of trafficking, war refugees, etc. The Other lives side-by-side with us; often they even contribute (more or less directly) to our affluence,” the program's organizers say, going on to remind the public of the Norwegian reality: “Time and again we are acclaimed as [one of] the richest, happiest, and most egalitarian nations in the world.”

“Numerous contemporary narratives indicate that this sense of global inequality does not simply lead to Scandinavians’ counting themselves lucky for their unusual privileges; they also feel uncomfortable and suffer from what we call ‘Scandinavian guilt feelings,’” they continue. One of the project’s goals is to understand the country’s cultural identity, “which is in an ambivalent state.”

Curious, yes. New, no. A quick Google search shows that the discussion about guilt (skyldfølelse) isn’t entirely new in Norway. In 2017, Forskning.no, an Oslo-based online media outlet supported by the Research Council of Norway, published an article with the revealing title “Typical Scandinavian guilt feeling,” that already discussed Oxfeldt’s research and the expression of Scandinavian guilt (skandinaviske skyldfølelser).

“Those of us who live in the richest and happiest country in the world have every reason to feel guilty about other people’s poverty and misery,” the seven-year-old report noted, according to an English translation provided by Google. We can find the same concept in earlier analyses in other media outlets such as Politiken, Information, Ntiko, and Foreningen Norden.

But what is the background? Norway isn’t an ordinary country—and not just because of its happiness, social welfare, or equality rankings. In its analysis of “Scan guilt,” the BBC notes that part of its wealth and comfort is rooted in companies whose morality has been publicly questioned.

For example, according to Statista, “in 2024, Norway’s oil and gas industry is expected to contribute nearly 24% to total GDP. The industry is one of the most important in the country, making up a staggering 73% of Norway’s export value in 2022.” In 2021, Norway was the world’s 11th-largest “black gold” producer. In this regard, the invasion of Ukraine, one of the most complex fronts in Europe, has boosted its thriving oil and gas business, forcing it to confront those who accuse it of profiting from the war.

Whether this is the case or not, the fact is that in 2022, with Russian troops already deployed in Ukraine, Norway achieved record oil and gas revenues. Another controversial business is its salmon farms, which use oil from fish caught off the coast of Mauritania. A recent Financial Times analysis warns that the scheme is “damaging West Africa’s food security.” Some are even calling it “food colonialism.”

This article was written by Carlos Prego and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Image | Oliver Cole (Unsplash)

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