The ECSR (European Consortium for Sociological Research) 2026 Annual Conference was hosted at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, presenting “Institutional uncertainty, transnational information, and trust in Nordic healthcare”, June 15–17, 2026.
Nordic healthcare systems are often described as providing universal and equitable access to care. However, empirical research consistently shows that immigrants report greater difficulties in navigating health-care services and lower use of the services relative to need (Kieseppä et al., 2022). Recent studies point to language barriers, digitisation, fragmented service structures, and communication problems as persistent sources of inequality, particularly for older and long-term migrants (Kaihlanen et al., 2022). Across this literature, access to health care is no longer understood as a single point of entry but as an ongoing social process shaped by institutional rules, information practices, and repeated interactions with professionals (Levesque et al., 2013). Under conditions of institutional uncertainty—where procedures are complex, digital systems are difficult to use, and guidance is perceived as inconsistent—trust in health institutions is weakened. Research on trust shows that uncertainty and prior negative encounters can reduce reliance on expert systems (Devine et al., 2021), while at the same time, migration research highlights that health-related decision-making often takes place within transnational information environments. Migrants draw on diaspora media, social networks, news coverage, and cross-border communication to interpret health risks, diagnoses, and treatment options (Panagakos & Horst, 2006; Kianpour et al., 2025). In this context past experiences, shared language, and trusted contacts have been described as important when interpreting health information, often comparing advice from local health services with information encountered through transnational networks and media. But less is known about how institutional uncertainty, trust, and transnational information practices intersect in shaping health-related decisions among immigrants in Nordic contexts. This study addresses that gap by examining how routine interactions between institutional arrangements, media environments, and transnational information flows, may lead to and amplify inequalities in the Nordic context.
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Nordic healthcare systems are often described as providing universal and equitable access to care. However, empirical research consistently shows that immigrants report greater difficulties in navigating health-care services and lower use of the services relative to need (Kieseppä et al., 2022). Recent studies point to language barriers, digitisation, fragmented service structures, and communication problems as persistent sources of inequality, particularly for older and long-term migrants (Kaihlanen et al., 2022). Across this literature, access to health care is no longer understood as a single point of entry but as an ongoing social process shaped by institutional rules, information practices, and repeated interactions with professionals (Levesque et al., 2013). Under conditions of institutional uncertainty—where procedures are complex, digital systems are difficult to use, and guidance is perceived as inconsistent—trust in health institutions is weakened. Research on trust shows that uncertainty and prior negative encounters can reduce reliance on expert systems (Devine et al., 2021), while at the same time, migration research highlights that health-related decision-making often takes place within transnational information environments. Migrants draw on diaspora media, social networks, news coverage, and cross-border communication to interpret health risks, diagnoses, and treatment options (Panagakos & Horst, 2006; Kianpour et al., 2025). In this context past experiences, shared language, and trusted contacts have been described as important when interpreting health information, often comparing advice from local health services with information encountered through transnational networks and media. But less is known about how institutional uncertainty, trust, and transnational information practices intersect in shaping health-related decisions among immigrants in Nordic contexts. This study addresses that gap by examining how routine interactions between institutional arrangements, media environments, and transnational information flows, may lead to and amplify inequalities in the Nordic context.
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