Migration and healthcare the main issues for Dutch voters in European elections

Migration and healthcare were the most important issues for Netherlands voters in the European Parliament elections, according to research by Ipsos I&O on behalf of NOS. Based on the final exit poll, GroenLinks-PvdA will be the largest Dutch party in the European Parliament with eight seats, closely followed by the PVV with seven.

Ipsos I&O surveyed 3,600 people on election day, spread throughout the Netherlands, asking them what played the biggest role in their choice of vote. Healthcare's second-place finish is remarkable, given that national governments have much more influence on this than Brussels.

After migration and healthcare, many respondents cared about the democratic character of the EU, the economy, and the fight against terrorism and organized crime. Agriculture and the war in Ukraine were mentioned less often. Drug policy, European culture, and food safety played “some” role in voting decisions at most.

Many Dutch voters said they want the European Union to have more say in the areas of tax evasion, terrorism, and digital security. More than half also said they want more input from the EU in the field of migration, but the researchers interpret this as mainly wanting more done on that topic.

The new Dutch coalition also played a role in voters’ decisions, Ipsos I&O noted. More respondents than in previous European elections indicated that their vote was also a vote for the Cabinet. That especially applied for PVV and BBB voters. For GroenLinks-PvdA voters, the opposite was true - for them, their vote was explicitly against the new Cabinet.

The European faction leaders for the Dutch parties did not influence votes much. In 2019, Frans Timmermans, as leader of the PvdA in Europe, attracted many voters. This year, Dutch voters mainly voted based on the national party leaders, especially PVV and BBB voters.

The researchers also asked why respondents decided to vote or not. The main reasons to vote were getting your voice heard, considering it your democratic duty, and considering European politics important. The main reasons not to vote were a lack of interest in European politics, no trust in European politics, and not knowing who to vote for.