Originally Posted by SchmeckFlyer
But this one can find just about anywhere it seems. At least, every country I've ever lived invariably has rural populations that are invariably more conservative and traditional, decrying the sins of the decadent and glittery cities etc. and so on and so forth. (I.e. not just in Sweden)
To characterize rural people so singularly as more conservative than urbanites/suburbanites doesn't systematically reconcile with what I've experienced in a variety of places, including parts of the Americas, North Africa, West Asia (aka Middle East), Central Asia and South Asia. I've often found people in rural areas to be more politically, socially and religiously progressive than people in urban and suburban areas.
I'm still trying to locate the "Swedish bible belt".
Most such persons moved to the US a long time ago.
All I can think of is some places in Smalland (Sweden), where a huge proportion of Swedish-Americans have roots; and even then I wouldn't call that a "Swedish bible belt"; more like a few Swedish hanging chads punched into a map.
[Parts of Norway and even Denmark are a different matter.]