Five Percent Of Icelandic Students Carry Knives

According to the latest results of the National Youth Study (Íslenska Æskulýðsrannsóknin), conducted last spring, four to five percent of primary and secondary school students carry knives to school. One percent say the reason is self defence.

The study researches various topics among Icelandic primary and secondary school students, including mental health, drug use, nutrition, and dental hygiene. This is the first time the study has specifically monitored the carrying of knives among Icelandic youth. Among the findings was that male students constitute the vast majority of those who carry weapons to school.

A national wake-up call

Following the murder of 17-year-old Bryndís Klara Birgisdóttir on Culture Night by a juvenile assailant, violence among Icelandic youth has been a major point of discussion in public discourse. On August 30, the government announced a national campaign to combat the problem, promising to handle the issue better than before.