– It is a hard blow to my pride that I am unable to pay myself. The father of small children, David Martinussen (27), fixes his eyes on the garage while he rubs the paint stains on his hands together. He is a craftsman, and is doing a painting job for a customer in a district in Tromsø. He is aware that prices have increased. It has been two years since he last filled the car with a full tank. His partner doesn’t have a job right now. Then David’s salary is not always enough – and it becomes extra challenging if something unforeseen happens. David Martinussen has a full-time job as a craftsman, but is well aware that most things are getting more expensive. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news At Easter he crushed a filling in his molar. It hurt a lot, and he got an inflammation in his mouth. He feared it would cost up to NOK 12,000 to fix, more than he had left in his account. He called around to the dentists in Tromsø to see if he could get urgent help on invoice. The response was disappointing. – Why don’t teeth go under normal health? Not everyone can afford to pay that much. David Martinussen was born and raised on Skjervøy in Troms, but has lived in Tromsø in recent years. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news Martinussen could not sleep, and was unable to work. The lump under his chin was growing, and he didn’t know what to do. Nav would take too long, he feared. In the end he had to crawl to the cross and borrow money. – I am so lucky that my dear mother was decent enough to feel sorry for me to pay the bill. But if I hadn’t had family to borrow from, I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to go to the dentist at all. He also appeared in the local newspaper, to tell people how challenging it can be to have little money in an emergency situation. – Standing up in public to say that you can’t afford to go to the dentist is simply embarrassing. Experiencing that you do not get help from the system can lead to mistrust and dissatisfaction, according to researcher and political scientist Staffan Kumlin. David is not the only one who has experienced that it is not always so easy to get help. Single mother Karoline Kallbekken lived in a health-threatening home for seven years. Now the children finally want to have friends visit again, without being “the scary house”. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news In a council house in Tromsø, Karoline Kallbekken (31) goes into the bathroom without her shoes on. It was not a matter of course in the municipal housing she lived in before. Because the path to this particular apartment has been anything but easy. Kallbekken is disabled, and lives with his two sons. Before Christmas, she appeared in the local newspaper and told about the home that even the child welfare services advised her against living in, and described as dangerous to her health. This was also one of the municipality’s homes. The family had lived there for seven years. And the family had been ill for just as long, with symptoms that indicated a poor indoor climate. – The youngest struggled a lot with his breathing and always had a cold. He operated on his tonsils in the hope that it would get better. But it wasn’t to be. And the eldest was constantly stuffy, snotty and had a stomach ache, she says. The apartment had mold in the bedroom and living room, and faeces and pee that ran out from under the toilet. The toilet contents leaked onto the floor, making it impossible to walk without shoes in the bathroom. It smelled and was embarrassing. The window frames were black with mould. The sink was broken and hanging from the wall. In addition, it was tight. The apartment on the floor above had a water leak, which seeped through the ceiling of the son’s bedroom. Kallbekken tried for several years to get out of the situation, but the calls for help just stopped. Only when she presented herself in the newspaper was she offered a new home. – It was embarrassing, and very disgusting. It was like everything I’ve been hiding was served up to everyone. In the period afterwards, she found it challenging to go outside the door, because she felt everyone was staring at her. Do they think she is a bad mother? Or is it because they feel sorry for her? – It was unpleasant. And standing up did something to my self-respect. It should be unnecessary to expose yourself, the children and your private life in order to get the help you should get. Karoline Kallbekken has a chronic illness, and is in the process of becoming disabled. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news But she has no regrets. Because she believes it is important to tell what it is like to live in the municipal housing. – I know many people who want to, but don’t dare. They want to protect their young. I have tried that for years. But I came to the conclusion that I also have to protect the children in the other way, by giving them a safe home. After a few rounds with myself, the choice was easy, says Kallbekken. In the new home, the children each have their own bedroom, an excellent place to keep their stick collection. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news The mother of children has lost her trust in politicians, and is unsure whether she will vote this year. David Martinussen feels that voting does not help. He is considering voting blank. – It seems that no matter who comes to power, it will be the same anyway. There is no change. It should be ordinary people’s turn now, but you only look at the diesel and petrol prices, says Martinussen. They are not alone in what Kallbekken and Martinussen feel about powerlessness. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news That people have less trust in politicians in general is, according to research, a common reaction to dissatisfaction with public services and the welfare system. Probably more common than that they actively vote against the responsible government. So says Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo, Staffan Kumlin. Do you trust politicians? Kumlin has researched precisely political trust, public attitudes and welfare states. Although most people in Norway generally have a high level of trust in politicians, Norway is one of the countries in Europe where the welfare system affects political trust the strongest. And it is in local politics that trust is most vulnerable. And then it may be about being seen and taken seriously, as for Kallbekken and Martinussen. David Martinussen, the father of young children, feels he is outside society when he cannot afford to fix his own health. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news Because trust is linked to being seen, heard and believed in, says Dina von Heimburg. She is a researcher and co-leader of the Nordic Research Center for Quality of Life and Social Sustainability at NTNU. Social inequalities in Norway are increasing, and they have been doing so for the past ten years. The richest are getting richer, while those with few means are struggling in many areas, according to a recent report she has helped prepare. This despite political ambitions to reduce social differences. Dina von Heimburg believes that the welfare system today is built on a culture of mistrust where you constantly have to document and prove that you are in need, and that you always have someone looking over your shoulders. Dina von Heimburg is a researcher and co-leader of the Nordic Research Center for Quality of Life and Social Sustainability at NTNU. Photo: Elin Iversen She believes it is crucial for people to be listened to and respected when they need help. Karoline Kallbekken and David Martinussen are examples of someone who has chosen to go public with their problem. But there are many who do not dare to ask for help because of shame, and who fear being refused. When they are met with rejection, shame grows, and people are reluctant to ask next time, explains the researcher. One solution could be to give people the freedom to have a more predictable economy, von Heimburg believes. – Universal measures to equalize differences, such as increased child benefit, have many advantages that can increase trust in the welfare system. Because it is non-stigmatising, and it strengthens the community, she says. – We have known for years that what helps is more money. So says social worker Anna-Sabina Soggiu. She grew up in a municipal block on Tøyen in Oslo, and recently published the book “Vi fattigfolk”. The book is not just about Nav clients. Because most people are not wealthy. There are people in low-wage jobs, shop assistants and cleaners. Anna-Sabina Soggiu is a social worker and author, and has previously told about what it is like to grow up in poverty in Oslo. She is in favor of a citizen’s salary. Photo: Jonas Mailand The government has set up a committee to gain more knowledge about low wages in Norway. Because it should be possible to live off a full-time job today, according to them. Anna-Sabina Soggiu agrees, and suggests securing a minimum income for people. – Social policy solutions that do not work become the fault and responsibility of individuals to sort out. It breaks people. She believes that it must be a minimum to lift everyone above the poverty line, if only with a citizen’s wage. It will benefit the whole society, believes Soggiu. Soggiu believes NAV is too bureaucratic a system, which builds distrust in people who seek them out. – There is an underlying understanding of laziness, and the burden of proof lies solely with the person in crisis, she says. Photo: Anders Fehn / news She thinks it’s a paradox that when you talk about getting the best managers, only carrots and high salaries apply. But when you talk about people who are poor, we think that it is need that teaches a naked woman to spin. – I simply don’t believe it. The lack of money is primarily about that, says Soggiu. When trust in politicians is on the wrong track – is there a way to repair it? Yes, says political scientist Staffan Kumlin. Kumlin says it is mainly via political elections that people can influence or change the welfare system. But dissatisfaction leads primarily to general mistrust, and not to people actually voting. It is a democratic problem, he believes. At the same time, he refers to research that shows that what people expect plays a role. So not just the quality of the services. How satisfied we are depends on our expectations. Staffan Kumlin researches political behaviour, attitudes and democracy in European welfare states. Photo: private – So political actors can either improve services, or moderate people’s expectations. We rarely see a leader or a politician show leadership by moderating expectations. But there is a way to deal with dissatisfaction, says Kumlin. In any case, the research has shown him to be a clear factor regarding trust: Just as important as the good quality of a service and the amount of financial payments, is that people who need help are met with respect, and that they perceive that the public servants listen to what they speak and are easy to communicate with. What does it take for people to get better in society? David Martinussen has thought a lot about this. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news David Martinussen believes that there are two things in particular that work poorly with society today. He wants dental health to become part of the Norwegian National Insurance scheme, so that people do not have to incur large expenses in the event of acute pain. And he believes there must be more and better low-threshold services for people who need help with their mental health. Karoline Kallbekken believes there are too many dilapidated municipal housing in Tromsø. She believes the municipality must refurbish, build and buy more homes that people with low or poor finances can rent in Tromsø, without it costing the same as on the open rental market. Karoline Kallbekken hopes others in the same situation as her will have better living conditions. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news Do you have any good solutions? On 28 August, news organizes the large public meeting from Tromsø, which you can watch live on NRK1 at 20:00. Jonas Gahr Støre and Erna Solberg are among the guests. One of the themes is social differences. Do you have any good solutions, or want to participate in the discussion? Enter here! Still not sure what to vote for? Check who you agree with the most:
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Political trust in the welfare system – Troms and Finnmark
