Half of Amsterdammers say city is headed in the wrong direction versus 44% in 2021

Half of Amsterdam residents think the city is headed in the wrong direction, a significant increase from the 44 percent who thought so in 2021. Amsterdammers are mainly worried about the housing shortage and crime in the city but also about traffic safety and litter, according to a biennial survey by Amsterdam’s Research and Statistics department. The researchers also found that Amsterdam residents are more likely to experience discrimination than elsewhere in the Netherlands.

The researchers found that Amsterdam residents over the age of 65 are more pessimistic about the future of the city than younger Amsterdammers. And new immigrants are more optimistic than people born in the Netherlands.

As in 2021, 2019, and 2017, the housing shortage is the biggest concern for Amsterdam residents, with 39 percent of respondents putting it at the top of the list. Safety and crime in the city came in second place, like in 2021, with 33 percent of Amsterdammers being concerned about this. Traffic safety and crowded roads came in third place (25 percent), followed by waste and litter (15 percent). Tourism and the commercialization of the city only came in fifth place (14 percent).

Despite these concerns, 83 percent of Amsterdammers like living in the Dutch capital, up from 81 percent two years ago. And 76 percent feel connected to the city (75 percent in 2021).

Amsterdam residents experience discrimination more than the national average. Last year, 18 percent of Amsterdammers experienced discrimination against themselves in the previous twelve months, which is comparable to 2022 and 2021 but significantly higher than the national 11 percent.

Racism is the most common form of discrimination in Amsterdam, with 49 percent of victims reporting discrimination based on their race or skin color. Discrimination based on nationality was second-most common (40 percent), followed by gender (28 percent), religion (18 percent), age (15 percent), and sexual orientation (12 percent).

About half of Amsterdam residents trust the local authorities, with the police (48 percent) and Mayor Femke Halsema (38 percent) enjoying the most confidence. The level of confidence is coparable to two years ago. Trust in the national authorities is significantly lower, with only 15 percent of Asmterdammers having confidence in parliament and 16 percent in the national government.

Amsterdammers are also more pessimistic about the future of the Netherlands, with 56 percent thinking the country is going in the wrong direction, compared to 52 percent in 2021.