Varför är vi med i facket? - En studie om medlemmars och förtroendevaldas förhållningssätt till fackets funktion

This bachelor’s thesis in Political Science examines the differences between Swedish trade union members and elected representatives’ attitudes to the functions of trade unions. The study draws from theory of bounded rationality by Herbert A. Simon and theory of collective action by Mancur Olson as well as theory on social movements, to create a theoretical framework in which three functions of trade unions are identified: individual, solidarity and societal. The empirical data was gathered using a qualitative survey study in which attitudes from Swedish trade union members and elected representatives produced the study’s data. The study then used a quantitative method for the analytical work using descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests and regression analysis. The findings indicate there are no particular noteworthy differences between members and elected representatives’ attitudes to the functions of trade unions. However, the study finds that women compared to men hold more solidarity-oriented attitudes towards the function of trade unions.