What you need to know for the test
- Questions 41-45 in the citizenship test are about Danish values and are counted separately: at least 4 of the 5 must be correct for you to pass.
- Gender equality is one of the core values of Danish society. Women gained the right to vote for Rigsdagen (the old two-chamber parliament) in 1915, and in 1976 Folketinget (the Danish parliament) passed the law on equal pay for equal work.
- Freedom of speech gives the right to criticise those in power, public institutions and religious authorities – and Grundloven (the Danish constitution) prohibits censorship.
- Freedom of religion has been in the constitution since 1849: everyone is free to practise, change or entirely opt out of religion.
- There is freedom of association and freedom of assembly: people can form associations and hold meetings and demonstrations without prior approval from the state.
- At 18 you come of age and decide over your own life – including your education, spouse and partner. Forced marriage is a criminal offence.
- Both spouses have the right to separation and divorce. Same-sex couples have been able to marry since 2012.
- The constitution prohibits making distinctions in citizens' rights on grounds of faith or descent – everyone is equal before the law.
A special topic: questions 41-45
Danish values is the only topic in the citizenship test with its own pass requirement. In addition to the requirement of at least 36 correct answers in total, you must answer at least 4 of the 5 values questions (questions 41-45) correctly. In other words, you can fail the whole test on this very topic, even if the rest goes well. The rule and worked examples are explained in detail in our guide to the values questions.
The good news is that the topic is easy to delimit. The questions deal with the core values described in the study material: the fundamental freedoms in the constitution, gender equality, family life and equality before the law. We go through them here.
Gender equality
Equality between men and women is today one of the core values of Danish society. Men and women have the same rights in political and economic life and in family life – for example the right to start a family and to get divorced.
It has not always been that way. With the constitutional amendment of 1915, Danish women gained the right to vote for Rigsdagen, and today women and men naturally have the same right to vote. In 1976 Folketinget passed – following a requirement from the EC, today's EU – the law on equal pay for equal work. Differences remain in practice, however, including in pay and in the sharing of parental leave, where women still take the greater part.
The fundamental freedoms: speech, religion and association
Grundloven protects a number of fundamental freedoms that the state must respect. They are essential preconditions for democracy and feature heavily in the values questions. You can read more about them on the page about the constitution and rights.
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the right to express your opinions freely. It includes the right to criticise, challenge and ask critical questions of those in power, public institutions and religious authorities. Grundloven prohibits censorship: the government cannot demand that books and newspapers be approved before they are published.
The freedom is exercised under responsibility. You can be punished for defamation (injuring another person's honour) or for publicly inciting a crime. But the limits are wide, and only the courts can decide whether they have been crossed.
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion has been in the constitution since 1849. It means that every citizen can practise the religion he or she wishes, can freely change religion – or choose not to be religious at all. All citizens have the same civil and political rights, whether they hold one faith, another faith or no faith at all. Only the monarch is not covered: Grundloven requires the king to belong to the Evangelical Lutheran church.
Freedom of association and assembly
Freedom of association is the right to form associations and to be a member of them – without the state having to approve it in advance. On the labour market it means that an employer may not dismiss an employee either because he or she is a member of a trade union, or because he or she is not. Only the courts can dissolve an association that seeks to achieve its aims through violence or other unlawful means. Freedom of assembly means that citizens can hold meetings and demonstrations without prior approval. Read more about the role of the trade unions on the page about the labour market.
Family, marriage and young people's self-determination
The age of majority in Denmark is 18. When young people turn 18 and come of age, they are free to choose how they want to live their lives and with whom. Parents cannot decide which education a young person should take, whom the young person may have as a boyfriend or girlfriend, or whom he or she should marry.
Marriage can only be entered into voluntarily, and it is a criminal offence to try to force anyone into a marriage they do not want. A spouse – whether the woman or the man – who does not wish to continue the marriage has the right to separation for six months and then the right to divorce. If the couple agree, they can divorce immediately.
Denmark strives to ensure that homosexuals have the same rights and duties as everyone else. In 1989 Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce registered partnership for same-sex couples, and since 2012 same-sex couples have been able to marry – including in folkekirken (the Danish national church). Since 2010 they have also been able to adopt.
Equality before the law and democratic participation
Grundloven establishes that no distinction can be made in citizens' rights or duties on grounds of faith or descent. Discrimination – treating people worse because of, for example, faith, skin colour, gender or sexual orientation – is illegal, and crimes committed for such reasons (hate crimes) can be punished especially severely.
Democratic participation is also one of these values. The most widespread democratic activity is voting in elections: turnout at general elections has averaged 86 percent since the year 2000. For many people, association life works as training in democracy, where you test arguments, reach compromises and vote on proposals. Read more on the page about democracy and government by the people – and look up difficult words in the glossary.