Publishing Death. Symbols, Religious Themes, and Individualisation in Death Notices in the Swedish Daily Newspapers 1976 - 1995

The present study analyses 6,699 death notices appearing in Swedish newspapers from 1976 through 1995, and 5,766 death notices in specifically urban newspapers from the same period. The death notices are analysed using the same method as in an earlier study by theologian Per Block (Lund University), making it possible to study changes in the use of text in death notices already from 1945.

The analysis shows that the number of cross symbols decreased markedly, from nearly 100 % of the death notices in 1976 to 39 % of the notices generally in 1995, and to 32 % of the notices in urban newspapers, while the number of alternative symbols increased. Interviews showed that a recurring concern was to choose a symbol that in some way portrayed the identity of the deceased. This may reflect an increased individualism and a reaction against the anonymity perceived in the cross symbol, which for many indicated only that somebody had died.

The text portion of death notices has changed in that the number of notices containing language associated with Christianity decreased from 1945 to 1995. An attempt was made to relate these changes in death notices to changes in the rate of church oriented religiosity, but no clear connection was found.

This study was part of a larger project, Cultural indicators: The Swedish Symbol System 1945-1975-1995 (KUSS II), funded by the former Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Purpose:
The aim of the project was to study the contents of death notices in Swedish newspapers; how death notices are designed today (in the 1990s) and how they have changed over time. These issues were related to questions of secularisation and individualisation in Swedish society.

The dataset consists of a sample of 6699 death notices published in Swedish daily newspapers during the years 1976-1995. The data includes the actual text from the death notices as well as coded data describing the level of religious content, symbols used, the size and political affiliation of the newspaper, etc. The data can be retrieved in MS Excel or SPSS format.

The dataset consists of a sample of 5767 death notices published in Swedish city newspapers during the years 1976-1995. The data includes the actual text from the death notices as well as coded data describing the level of religious content, symbols used, the size and political affiliation of the newspaper, etc. The data can be retrieved in MS Excel or SPSS format.

本研究分析了1976年至1995年间瑞典报纸上刊登的6699条讣告，以及同期城市报纸中专门选取的5766条讣告。讣告分析采用了隆德大学神学家Per Block早期研究中使用的相同方法，从而能够追溯至1945年研究讣告文本使用的变化。

分析显示，十字架符号的使用比例显著下降——从1976年几乎100%的讣告使用降至1995年总体讣告的39%，以及城市报纸讣告的32%——而替代符号的使用则有所增加。访谈结果表明，人们反复关注的问题是选择某种能够在一定程度上体现逝者身份的符号。这或许反映出个人主义的增强，以及对十字架符号所带来的匿名性的反抗——对许多人而言，十字架符号仅意味着有人离世。

讣告的文本部分也发生了变化：1945年至1995年间，包含基督教相关语言的讣告数量有所减少。研究尝试将讣告中的这些变化与以教会为导向的宗教信仰率（church oriented religiosity）变化关联起来，但未发现明确的联系。

本研究是大型项目《文化指标：瑞典符号系统1945-1975-1995》（KUSS II）的一部分，该项目由前人文与社会科学研究委员会资助。

Purpose:
本项目旨在研究瑞典报纸讣告的内容，包括20世纪90年代讣告的设计现状及其随时间的变化。这些问题与瑞典社会的世俗化（secularisation）和个体化（individualisation）问题相关。

该数据集包含1976-1995年间瑞典日报刊登的6699条讣告样本。数据内容包括讣告原文，以及描述宗教内容程度、所用符号、报纸规模与政治倾向等的编码数据。数据可通过MS Excel或SPSS格式获取。

该数据集包含1976-1995年间瑞典城市报纸刊登的5767条讣告样本。数据内容包括讣告原文，以及描述宗教内容程度、所用符号、报纸规模与政治倾向等的编码数据。数据可通过MS Excel或SPSS格式获取。