Fredrik Reinfeldt has been perceived as a very controlled and harmonious person, and his apparent lack of public displays of emotion stands in contrast to his predecessor Bo Lundgren, who on several occasions displayed fits of rage[3]. Reinfeldt has been described as "gentle, pensive and a good listener" and his "cool, soft-spoken approach" is said to go down well with Swedish voters[6] Aware of this perception, Reinfeldt has aid "I am by nature confident and calm. But that does not mean I am not passionate and do not feel strongly about things"[7].
Regarding his family life, Reinfeldt has stated that he likes washing up in the kitchen, "I like when things are clean"[6], and cultivated the image of a good family man who enjoys housework[7]. He enjoys reading crime novels and history books and listening to Swedish 1970s disco group ABBA[32]. Reinfeldt is a fan of Djurgårdens IF. So is Left Party leader Lars Ohly. When Reinfeldt was asked if there was something he liked about Ohly, he said: "Yes, he supports Djurgården".
According to a 'niceness' survey undertaken by Swedish polling company Skop in August of 2006, 55 % of those polled would prefer Fredrik Reinfeldt as a dinner companion/guest compared with 45 % for Prime Minister and opposition Social Democrat party leader Göran Persson. This was an increase by three percentage points compared with a earlier poll undertaken in June of 2006[33].